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Save the world and our lunar history in Lunar Strike, the 2026 sci-fi narrative adventure game that was just announced at the Future Games Show.

Previous research in macaques suggests that part of the brain reorganises itself when a limb is removed, but now a study in people has turned that idea on its head

Previous research in macaques suggests that part of the brain reorganises itself when a limb is removed, but now a study in people has turned that idea on its head

Edible microbeads made of vitamin E and seaweed helped rats lose weight by absorbing excess fat in their guts

Edible microbeads made of vitamin E and seaweed helped rats lose weight by absorbing excess fat in their guts

A deep partial solar eclipse will grace the Southern Hemisphere on Sept. 21, 2025, with the best views from remote seas and New Zealand's dawn skies.

Over 500,000 light years across,

This galaxy is not only pretty -- it's useful.

What kind of clouds are these?

The camera battery died about 2am local time

What are those curved arcs in the sky?

Curiosity Navigation

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2 min read

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4636-4637: Up Against a Wall NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, showing itself parked at the wall of a fracture named “Río Frío.” Curiosity used its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 19, 2025 — Sol 4634, or Martian day 4,634 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 14:51:33 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator, Framework

Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

What does a good rover do when her back is up against a wall? Fight for science!

Curiosity indeed fought the good fight at “Río Frío,” the wall of one of the many ridges cutting through the boxwork terrain we have been systematically exploring. The observations along the wall today provide insight into the internal structure and chemistry of the ridges, hopefully giving us clues as to why they are standing proud relative to the surrounding terrain.

The structural story will be told by the large Mastcam mosaics we planned, covering the ridge from base to top, and from a MAHLI mosaic covering a horizon of the wall filled with resistant nodules and smooth, swooping surfaces cutting in all directions that are likely veins. The mosaic target, “Jardín de las Delicias,” will surely yield a surfeit of Martian delights. The chemical story will be told by APXS analysis of the nodule-filled target “Minimini” and SuperCam analysis of a vein at “El Tapado.” In contrast to the ridge itself, we planned a Mastcam mosaic of part of the hollow at the base of the ridge at target “Playa Zapatilla.” 

Beyond the ridge, we planned Mastcam and ChemCam imaging of the “Paniri” and “Mishe Mokwa” buttes, respectively, and sky observations with Navcam and Mastcam. DAN, RAD, and REMS run periodically through the plan keeping their eye on the Martian environment. Our drive will take us to a smaller ridge perpendicular to Río Frío, where we will once again fight to learn the secrets these ridges have to tell about  Mars’ past.

• Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team?

  
  
  Visit Mission Updates
  
  

• Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments?

  
  
  Visit the Science Instruments page
  
  

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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Aug 20, 2025

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3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4634-4635: A Waiting Game

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All Mars Resources

Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…

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The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

Curiosity Navigation

• Curiosity Home
• Science
• News and Features
• Multimedia
• Mars Missions
• Mars Home

2 min read

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4636-4637: Up Against a Wall NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image, showing itself parked at the wall of a fracture named “Río Frío.” Curiosity used its Left Navigation Camera on Aug. 19, 2025 — Sol 4634, or Martian day 4,634 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 14:51:33 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Written by Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator, Framework

Earth planning date: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

What does a good rover do when her back is up against a wall? Fight for science!

Curiosity indeed fought the good fight at “Río Frío,” the wall of one of the many ridges cutting through the boxwork terrain we have been systematically exploring. The observations along the wall today provide insight into the internal structure and chemistry of the ridges, hopefully giving us clues as to why they are standing proud relative to the surrounding terrain.

The structural story will be told by the large Mastcam mosaics we planned, covering the ridge from base to top, and from a MAHLI mosaic covering a horizon of the wall filled with resistant nodules and smooth, swooping surfaces cutting in all directions that are likely veins. The mosaic target, “Jardín de las Delicias,” will surely yield a surfeit of Martian delights. The chemical story will be told by APXS analysis of the nodule-filled target “Minimini” and SuperCam analysis of a vein at “El Tapado.” In contrast to the ridge itself, we planned a Mastcam mosaic of part of the hollow at the base of the ridge at target “Playa Zapatilla.” 

Beyond the ridge, we planned Mastcam and ChemCam imaging of the “Paniri” and “Mishe Mokwa” buttes, respectively, and sky observations with Navcam and Mastcam. DAN, RAD, and REMS run periodically through the plan keeping their eye on the Martian environment. Our drive will take us to a smaller ridge perpendicular to Río Frío, where we will once again fight to learn the secrets these ridges have to tell about  Mars’ past.

• Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team?

  
  
  Visit Mission Updates
  
  

• Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments?

  
  
  Visit the Science Instruments page
  
  

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 20, 2025

Related Terms

• Blogs

Explore More

3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4634-4635: A Waiting Game

Article


1 day ago

2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4631-4633: Radiant Ridge Revolution

Article


1 day ago

2 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4629-4630: Feeling Hollow

Article


3 days ago

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…

All Mars Resources

Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…

Rover Basics

Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…

Mars Exploration: Science Goals

The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

One-off cases of malaria in the U.S. may become more common as warming temperatures lead to booming mosquito populations

If there's one thing astronauts know, it's "practice, practice, practice."

This quiz will explore the science behind the scenery, the facts behind the familiar, and the wonders that make Earth a living planet.

The U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane will test a potential alternative to GPS that makes use of quantum science as a tool for navigation: a quantum inertial sensor.