Mars rovers give scientists a ground‑level view of the red planet—peek inside their NASA control room

At 7:30 a.m., I entered the Rover Operations Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. I was the first to arrive, despite feeling slightly late. Curiosity, the Mars rover, had just finished its day of exploration on the Red Planet and transmitted its latest data to a Mars orbiter overhead. The orbiter then relayed this information to Earth, where it awaited analysis at NASA's control center and partner institutions worldwide.

The rover operations commenced at 8:15 a.m., providing engineers and scientists with only three hours to assess the rover's health, examine the new science data, and devise the following set of rover activities. Subsequently, a team of four hours was dedicated to transforming these plans into commands for Curiosity for the following day, ensuring they were safe and feasible within the rover's constraints.

As the sun rose on Mars, Curiosity looked toward Earth, anticipating its subsequent instructions. As project scientist, my primary responsibility was to ensure that the plethora of measurements emerging from this rigorous process aligned with the mission's scientific goals and maintained the project's trajectory towards its ultimate objectives.

Curiosity was designed to identify signs of ancient habitable environments, such as those with liquid water and essential elements for life. The rover aimed to explore a local area on Mars, select rock samples, and analyze them using onboard laboratories. Located in Gale Crater, Curiosity ascended Aeolis Mons, a mountain that offered a record of environmental conditions from about 3.5 billion years ago. Geological evidence indicated that Mars once harbored lakes and streams, shielded by a thicker atmosphere.

During its journey, Curiosity climbed a vertical half-mile of rock layers, discovering clay-rich mudstone layers giving way to younger sandstones with salty minerals at higher elevations. This data suggested that lakes persisted for millions of years prior to the climate turning arid, leading to the formation of dunes that eventually covered the lakes. Groundwater intermittently breached the surface, resulting in streams that meandered among the dunes.

Samples collected by Curiosity from the lake sediments contained small organic molecules, the building blocks of potential life. The presence of wet environments, organic compounds, and a mixture of chemicals similar to those utilized by Earth's microbes allowed our team to conclude that Gale had once supported life. However, conclusively determining whether life actually emerged would necessitate bringing these rocks to laboratories on Earth.

As colleagues arrived in the building and online, I was captivated by the latest images. Curiosity was now in the higher and drier strata of Aeolis Mons, yet the rocks showcased salts, scours, and other indications of ancient water. These findings suggested that even during Mars' dry period, there might have been habitats for life.

During our previous shift, I questioned the engineers responsible for planning the rover's trajectory to navigate a particularly smooth and flat area visible from orbit. Our team was enthusiastic about the prospect of driving 120 feet on this Martian "parking lot," a significant distance for Curiosity, after years of challenging off-road driving.

Now, the area in front of Curiosity was covered in dots, each representing a potential target for observation using the rover's cameras, laser spectrometer, or sensors on its arm. The sheer number of dots presented a challenge, yet it was a welcome one, as it indicated the vast amount of data awaiting analysis. A science team member, trained to moderate the day's discussion, began narrowing down the list based on the potential to distinguish how the polygons formed. My role was to ultimately break any ties if consensus could not be reached swiftly.

Friday marked the start of the three-day activity plan for Curiosity, which would unfold over the weekend. The results would be delivered to the team for our next shift on Monday. Curiosity operates on weekends as well. As I walked into the adjacent room, I observed a robotics engineer visualizing in 3D how Curiosity's five-jointed arm would interact with selected rock targets.

I sat next to another engineer simulating the rover's next drive. We discussed the upcoming terrain, which was rougher than expected, with no parking lots and only curbs. We deliberated on how she could navigate around the rock obstacles to reach the next science waypoint. By noon, the science team's involvement in operations concluded, but our colleagues continued to analyze the latest data online.

Meanwhile, the rover and instrument operators began converting the day's scientific findings into actionable commands.