Tip: tap a highlighted word to see its meaning in Urdu.
The Curiosity rover wrapped up its drill work on Mars and spotted new clouds.
Level 1 · Easy
Mars has a new year! The new year started at the end of September on Earth. It is now in Gale .
The Curiosity rover finished its drill work at Basque Lakes. The team did a special with the rover. They also took pictures of rocks and minerals.
The rover captured the first high-altitude clouds of the season. These clouds appear during and are very bright.
Level 2 · Medium
Scientists have marked the start of a new year on Mars. The new year began in late September on Earth. This time marks the vernal , which is the start of spring in the northern hemisphere. For Gale , just south of the equator, the new season is .
The Curiosity rover spent its time finishing a drill at a place called “Basque Lakes.” The mission team used extra time to run a Gas Chromatograph and Mass Spectrometry . They also checked drill tailings, which are leftover bits of rock and minerals. The team plans to drive back toward the forms seen in the “Chiu Chiu” region.
Along with science work, the on Mars is changing. Autumn brings high-altitude clouds. Cameras on the rover captured the first bright clouds of the season in the late afternoon. Scientists look forward to watching more clouds as the Martian autumn continues.
Level 3 · Real news English
Scientists tracking the Red Planet have celebrated the start of Mars year 39. This new year began at the end of September on Earth, marked by the vernal at the start of the northern hemisphere spring. Seasons on Mars are measured by counting degrees of solar longitude, where each season equals 90 degrees of a full 360-degree . For Gale , located just south of the equator, the new year brings the arrival of .
During sols 5036 through 5042, the Curiosity rover mission team worked on finishing a drilling at a site named “Basque Lakes.” After checking lab results, the SAM team added an extra Gas Chromatograph and Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) . Although this activity uses a lot of energy, the team had enough time in the plan to also perform remote-science tasks with Mastcam and ChemCam, as well as study drill tailings, which are the leftover bits of rock and minerals from the samples. Before driving away toward the “Chiu Chiu” region to see forms again, the team used the weekend to wrap up final contact and remote-science targets.
Meanwhile, the Martian is showing clear seasonal changes. The arrival of autumn brings back high-altitude clouds, which are beautifully lit by the low sun angle at sunset. While many clouds at Gale Crater are too thin for human eyes or robotic cameras to see, these specific twilight clouds are bright enough to appear clearly in raw Navcam images. Atmospheric scientists are excited to watch more clouds go by throughout the Martian autumn season.
Words to learn
- autumn — خزاں (khizan): the season after summer “Leaves fall from trees in autumn.”
- equinox — اعتدال (aitidal): when day and night are of equal length “The vernal equinox marks spring.”
- crater — گڑھا (garha): a large hole in the ground “The meteor made a deep crater.”
- mineral — معدنیات (madniyat): a natural solid substance “Rocks are made of different minerals.”
- atmosphere — فضا (fiza): the gas layer around a planet “Earth has an atmosphere with oxygen.”
- orbit — مدار (madar): the path of a planet around the sun “Earth completes one orbit in a year.”
- experiment — تجربہ (tajriba): a scientific test “Students did an experiment in class.”
- twilight — گودھولی (godhuli): the light just after sunset “They walked outside during twilight.”
- crystal — بلور (baloor): a clear solid piece of a substance “The rock had a sharp crystal form.”
- campaign — مہم (muhim): a planned set of activities “The team started a drilling campaign.”
Quick quiz
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What season did Gale Crater enter with the new Mars year?
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Spring
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What is the name of the place where Curiosity finished its drill campaign?
- Chiu Chiu
- Basque Lakes
- Gale Crater
- York University
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What does 'autumn' mean in Urdu?
- بہار
- گرمی
- خزاں
- سردی
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Which instrument team decided on an additional GCMS experiment?
- Mastcam
- ChemCam
- SAM
- Navcam
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What type of clouds were captured by the rover in the late afternoon?
- High-altitude twilight clouds
- Rain clouds
- Storm clouds
- Dark winter clouds