NASA confirmed on Monday, September 18 that, after three failed attempts, the Curiosity rover has successfully reached its dangerous destination on the Red Planet: Hades Wallis Ridge.

As for why this formation is worth so much turmoil? Curiosity ? Scientists believe that three billion years ago, when Mars was much wetter than today’s arid lands, powerful debris flows carried soil and rocks down the slope of a nearby mountain known as Mount Sharp. According to NASA, this debris “spread out in a fan and was then washed by the wind towards a high ridge.”

In practice, this background means that this ridge preserves evidence of Mars’ blue past and, more excitingly, information about the planet’s ancient, dangerous landslides.

“I can’t imagine what it would be like to witness these events,” geologist William Dietrich, a member of the mission team at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement. “Huge boulders broke away from the mountain high above the ground, ran down, and fanned itself below. The results of this campaign will push us to better explain such events not only on Mars, but also on Earth, where they pose natural hazards.”

The target was reached on August 14, the 3923rd Mars day of the mission (left). After settlement mastcam Curiosity took 136 separate photographs of the site, which were then combined to create a 360-degree panorama that was enhanced for visual purposes.

Curious had to overcome many obstacles to reach the Gediz Vallis ridge.

First, the rover experienced some issues accessing this highly anticipated region of the Red Planet after landing in a location known as the Pediment in 2021. green tintAccording to scientists, it was an extremely difficult rock formation to climb.

Then last year Curiosity crashed into some rocks rocksthey were cut along another possible route to the ridge. The name “crocodile back” comes from the resemblance of these stones to the scales on the back of a crocodile. They are believed to be made of sandstone, making them the hardest rock Curiosity has encountered on Mars.

Earlier this year, Curiosity encountered another setback on its way to Gediz Vallis after surveying the Marker Band Valley. At the time, NASA said leaving the Beacon Band was like participating in a “slip and slide” event on Mars. This entire ordeal has left Curiosity in a fragile state.

According to a mission update earlier this year, Curiosity called GV Ridge the “Bermuda Triangle” of Mount Sharp. The update added: “We are now just a few feet away from reaching some of the backbone materials and achieving contact science, and the expectation is growing.”