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,
SpaceX Red Dragon mission, as originally proposed by NASA Ames Research Center, were: A 2014 study of a potential 2021 NASA-funded "Red Dragon" mission suggested that it could offer a low-cost way for NASA to achieve a Mars sample return. In the concept, the "Red Dragon" capsule would be equipped with the system needed to return samples gathered on Mars, including a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), an Earth Return Vehicle (ERV), and hardware to transfer the sample collected by a previously landed rover mission, such as NASA's planned Mars 2020 rover, to the ERV. The ERV would transfer the samples to high Earth