Rocknest (Mars) Rocknest (Mars) Rocknest is a sand patch on the surface of Aeolis Palus, between Peace Vallis and Aeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp"), in Gale crater on the planet Mars. The patch was encountered by the Curiosity rover on the way from Bradbury Landing to Glenelg Intrigue on September 28, 2012. The "approximate" site coordinates are: . The sand patch is downhill from a cluster of dark rocks. NASA determined the patch to be the location for the first use of the scoop on the arm of the Mars "Curiosity rover". The ""Rocknest"" patch is about by . On October 7, 2012,
Mars landing heat flow from the deep interior of Mars, was launched on May 5, 2018. It landed successfully in Mars's Elysium Planitia on November 26, 2018. Additional future missions are the Mars 2020 rover, the Chinese Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter and Small Rover, and the Indian Mars Orbiter Mission 2 orbiter. The ESA ExoMars rover, also planned for launch in 2020, should obtain soil samples from up to 2 meters depth and make an extensive search for biosignatures and biomolecules. There is a proposal for a Mars Sample Return Mission by ESA and NASA, but this has been delayed until