WEBVTT NOTE This file was exported by MacCaption version 8.0.00 to comply with the WebVTT specification dated March 27, 2017. 00:00:01.185 --> 00:00:04.271 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:19% [gentle piano] 00:00:04.271 --> 00:00:05.172 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:39% [Abigail Fraeman] The terrain around the 00:00:05.172 --> 00:00:08.392 align:center line:1 position:50% size:37% Curiosity rover is beginning to look very different. 00:00:09.193 --> 00:00:11.862 align:center line:1 position:50% size:28% The rover has driven over 16 miles since 00:00:11.862 --> 00:00:14.481 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:41% landing in Gale Crater in 2012. 00:00:15.048 --> 00:00:19.186 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:36% This view is from 1500 feet above our landing site. 00:00:20.020 --> 00:00:23.423 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:44% We're climbing the side of Mount Sharp, a very tall mountain 00:00:23.423 --> 00:00:25.993 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:35% in the center of the crater. 00:00:29.730 --> 00:00:31.682 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:27% All of this dark material is Martian 00:00:31.682 --> 00:00:34.851 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:41% sand that's made up of broken bits of volcanic rock. 00:00:35.669 --> 00:00:38.188 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% Can you see the ripples that were shaped by the wind? 00:00:38.972 --> 00:00:42.025 align:center line:1 position:50% size:37% We had to drive around this massive sand sheet 00:00:42.025 --> 00:00:44.728 align:center line:1 position:50% size:39% as we climbed Mount Sharp. 00:00:45.212 --> 00:00:47.598 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:35% Look how clear the air is. 00:00:47.598 --> 00:00:50.217 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% That's because it's winter when there's less dust 00:00:50.217 --> 00:00:51.535 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:26% in the atmosphere. 00:00:51.535 --> 00:00:54.688 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:33% You can see all the way to the rim of Gale Crater, 00:00:54.688 --> 00:00:56.757 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:20% which is about 20 miles away. 00:00:57.791 --> 00:00:59.376 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:43% We spent the last several years 00:00:59.376 --> 00:01:02.362 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:37% investigating clay-rich rocks that formed in lakes. 00:01:03.230 --> 00:01:06.016 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:43% But now we're entering a region where rocks are filled 00:01:06.016 --> 00:01:08.385 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:25% with salty minerals called sulfates. 00:01:09.052 --> 00:01:11.655 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:28% These minerals form in drier conditions. 00:01:11.655 --> 00:01:14.808 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% So we think this area might show us how the ancient 00:01:14.808 --> 00:01:18.061 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% Martian climate was changing. 00:01:18.061 --> 00:01:21.531 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:28% We're starting to see lots of very cool, 00:01:21.531 --> 00:01:23.967 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:23% knobbly textured rocks like these. 00:01:24.685 --> 00:01:29.172 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:45% We think these veins and nodules were created by groundwater. 00:01:32.826 --> 00:01:36.430 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:44% Here we recently drilled our 32nd sample of the mission. 00:01:36.697 --> 00:01:38.282 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:36% By studying the chemicals 00:01:38.282 --> 00:01:40.901 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% and minerals in this rock, we can learn how the 00:01:40.901 --> 00:01:44.104 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:47% ancient environment was changing as we go from the clay region 00:01:44.104 --> 00:01:46.807 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:31% into the sulfate region. 00:01:48.842 --> 00:01:50.560 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:38% And these hills are different 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:53.580 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:34% from anything we've seen on the lower mountain. 00:01:53.580 --> 00:01:54.514 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:22% They're rounded 00:01:54.514 --> 00:01:57.267 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% unlike the ridges and mesas we've seen before. 00:01:59.252 --> 00:02:01.288 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% Now let's look ahead to where we're going. 00:02:02.673 --> 00:02:04.291 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:43% We'll soon be entering a narrow 00:02:04.291 --> 00:02:07.427 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:37% valley that should make for some amazing images. 00:02:08.328 --> 00:02:10.681 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:27% On the left is Rafael Navarro Mountain, 00:02:10.981 --> 00:02:13.967 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:42% named after one of the mission scientists who passed away 00:02:13.967 --> 00:02:17.821 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:27% in January of 2021. 00:02:21.341 --> 00:02:23.510 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% This nearby hill is huge. 00:02:24.528 --> 00:02:28.131 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% It's about the size of a four-story building. 00:02:29.816 --> 00:02:32.936 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:39% This changing terrain is more than just fun to look at. 00:02:33.270 --> 00:02:36.857 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:40% It can teach us how Mars lost its water over time. 00:02:37.674 --> 00:02:39.326 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:32% How long did conditions 00:02:39.326 --> 00:02:41.978 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:26% that were favorable to life last? 00:02:41.978 --> 00:02:43.864 align:center line:-1 position:50% size:30% We're looking forward to finding out.