Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been ingesting samples of Martian rock, soil, and air to better understand the past and present habitability of the Red Planet. Of particular interest to its search are organic molecules: the building blocks of life. Now, Curiosity’s onboard chemistry lab has detected long-chain hydrocarbons in a mudstone called “Cumberland,” the largest organics yet discovered on Mars.
Learn more about this discovery: science.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory/nasas-curiosity-rover-detects-largest-organic-molecules-found-on-mars
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator
Caroline Freissinet: Lead Scientist
Daniel Glavin: Scientist
Jason Dworkin: Scientist
Charles Malespin: Scientist
Lonnie Shekhtman: Science Writer
Walt Feimer: Animation Lead
Michael Lentz: Art Director
Jonathan North: Animator
Kim Dongjae: Animator
Andrew Good: Public Affairs
Erin Morton: Public Affairs
Nancy Jones: Public Affairs
Aaron E. Lepsch: Technical Support
Universal Production Music: “Labyrinth of Discovery” by Emma Zarobyan [SOCAN]
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14808. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14808. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAGoddard
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram: instagram.com/nasagoddard
· X: twitter.com/NASAGoddard
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· Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gsfc
Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been ingesting samples of Martian rock, soil, and air to better understand the past and present habitability of the Red Planet. Of particular interest to its search are organic molecules: the building blocks of life. Now, Curiosity’s onboard chemistry lab has detected long-chain hydrocarbons in a mudstone called “Cumberland,” the largest organics yet discovered on Mars.
Learn more about this discovery: science.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory/nasas-curiosity-rover-detects-largest-organic-molecules-found-on-mars
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator
Caroline Freissinet: Lead Scientist
Daniel Glavin: Scientist
Jason Dworkin: Scientist
Charles Malespin: Scientist
Lonnie Shekhtman: Science Writer
Walt Feimer: Animation Lead
Michael Lentz: Art Director
Jonathan North: Animator
Kim Dongjae: Animator
Andrew Good: Public Affairs
Erin Morton: Public Affairs
Nancy Jones: Public Affairs
Aaron E. Lepsch: Technical Support
Universal Production Music: “Labyrinth of Discovery” by Emma Zarobyan [SOCAN]
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14808. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14808. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAGoddard
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram: instagram.com/nasagoddard
· X: twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gsfc
