April 15, 2021
NASA has given the name Rafael Navarro Mountain to a hill in Gale Crater on Mars, where the Curiosity rover has been exploring since 2012. Navarro, a mission scientist, died in January 2021 from Covid-19.
Rafael Navarro Mountain, a hill at the base of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater on Mars. Its name honors mission scientist Rafael Navarro-González, who passed away from Covid-19-related complications on January 28, 2021. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS.
There’s been a lot of focus this month on NASA’s newest rover on Mars, Perseverance and its adorable sidekick, the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, whose first flight has now been postponed to no earlier than next week. But meanwhile, the Curiosity rover – which has been on Mars since 2012 – is still busy, exploring the mesas and buttes at the base of Mount Sharp in Gale Crater. And there’s news about the Curiosity mission that strikes closer to home. On April 5, 2021, NASA announced that a craggy hump on Mount