NASA’s Curiosity rover, which celebrated its second anniversary on Mars in August is currently en route to Aeolis Mons, better known as “Mount Sharp” in the center of the Gale Crater. For the most part, Curiosity has kept its nose to he ground. Recently however it turned its cameras skyward and captured images of cloud formations overhead.

The key mission of the rover has been to look for evidence that the Red Planet could have once supported some form of life. The answer to that question largely lies on and in the ground. To date Curiosity has delivered evidence that large bodies of water once existed on the surface, that it contains minerals that could only form in liquid water and that it still has large amounts of water near the surface. The presence of clouds adds an extra dimension to the picture.

“Clouds are part of the planet’s climate system. Their behavior tells us about winds and temperatures. Some studies suggest that clouds in the past may have significantly warmed the planet through a greenhouse effect. A warmer environment is more conducive to life,” said Dr. Robert M. Haberle, Planetary Scientist at NASA Ames, to Astobiology Magazine.

Scientists have studied many formations on Mars created by winds, such as the vast dunefields. The ability to study clouds, formed by water ice crystals, gives scientists the ability to paint a more complete picture picture of the current martian climate and makes the ground information gathered by the rover more meaningful.

inds are the primary mechanism for shaping the planet’s surface for the past 3-4 billion years.

Winds are the primary mechanism for shaping the planet’s surface for the past 3-4 billion years. Studying martian weather can not only help us understand Mars’ current climate, but also provides clues about its past environment and the physical processes that operate on the planet. This information can in turn help astrobiologists interpret the planet’s geological record,” said Haberle.

The latest on NASA’s Mars rover missions can always be found at mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/home.