As 2020 comes to a close, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on everything Curiosity has accomplished this (Earth) year. In March, we climbed the Greenheugh pediment, setting mission records for steepest contact science (26.9˚) and steepest climb (32˚) along the way. We also set a mission record for largest elevation change on our way back when we descended 11 meters in a single drive, which project scientist Ashwin Vasavada pointed out to me is the height of a three-story building! We drilled and analyzed six samples of Martian rock, ranking 2020 with 2016 as “Earth year where Curiosity drilled the most.” Over the summer, we performed special wet chemistry experiments on two of those drilled samples, including the first use of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), to better understand their composition. Finally, we completed collection of our fourth full meteorological record of Mars when we celebrated our fourth Martian year on the surface. The science team has been working remotely for years, but Curiosity’s engineering team at JPL went fully remote starting in March. I am truly astonished by how much we’ve accomplished operating the rover from our dining room tables and makeshift home offices over the last 41 weeks, and I am so proud of this team.
