Curiosity rover investigates salty region for clues of life Digital Trends Mars - Curiosity HEAD TOPICS
Curiosity rover investigates salty region for clues of life Digital Trends
10/22/2022 9:06:00 PM It' s an exciting time when a Mars rover reaches an area high in sulfates and the Curiosity rover recently arrived at one such location on Mount Sharp
Mars Curiosity
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It's an exciting time when a Mars rover reaches an area high in sulfates, and the Curiosity rover recently arrived at one such location on Mount Sharp. It's an exciting time when a Mars rover reaches an area high in sulfates, and the Curiosity rover recently arrived at one such location on Mount Sharp. The sulfates had been identified from orbit by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter years ago as a key target for Curiosity to explore, and the rover has already identified a variety of rock types and salt minerals in the area including magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, and sodium chloride or table salt. While exploring the area, the Curiosity team chose a rock they named Canaima to collect a sample from, but because of the firmness of the rock, it was a difficult one to approach. The arm which Curiosity uses to move its drill into place has had some issues recently, as the brakes on the arm stopped working and a new set of spare brakes had to be used instead. Read more:
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On Saturday's 'America Right Now,' Tom Basile explains why American parents need to demand better phonics for their kids in schools in the upcoming November ... Read more >> NASA's Mars rover Curiosity reaches intriguing salty site after treacherous journeyRobert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space , Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter sciencef1rst. Pyramids of Mars ! Bravo, “Curio”! 🛰 Early Life on Mars Might Have Wiped Out Life on MarsIf tiny methanogens lived on ancient Mars , they could've planted the seed of their own demise, according to a new study. Mars rover Perseverance gearing up to cache samples for future return to EarthPerseverance will likely drop half of its rock samples in a depot in November or December. How ya doing, “Percy”? 🪐🤖 NASA is testing ways to crash land on Mars Digital TrendsNASA’s Mars team is testing a new method of getting equipment onto the martian surface -- using a deliberate crash landing. What's the Best Shielding to Protect Astronauts on Mars?New research shows that the best way to protect future Martian astronauts from deadly solar radiation is as simple as can be. For good shielding, they just need to put as much stuff between them and the sky as possible. We are constantly bombarded by high energy subatomic particles. One source of these particles is … Continue reading 'What’s the Best Shielding to Protect Astronauts on Mars ?' PaulMattSutter Water and caves? PaulMattSutter Lead pants. Why NASA Is Trying to Crash Land on MarsLanding a vehicle on Mars using a crumple-friendly bumper sounds risky, but NASA engineers think crash landings are doable. When it comes to hunting for evidence of ancient life on Mars, some key features that scientists want to explore are areas with high levels of sulfate minerals.climate changed from being similar to Earth's to the frozen, barren desert that Curiosity explores today.live in places like hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, where they convert chemical energy from their environment and release methane as a waste product.rock cores to date — two apiece from seven target stones — and it will likely drop half of them in November or December, said mission team member Jim Bell of Arizona State University. These salts form in the presence of water, so even though Mars is dry today, finding these minerals now indicates that there was once water in the region. And areas of water are places where life is most likely to have developed. Related Curiosity rover: 15 awe-inspiring photos of Mars (gallery) When Curiosity finally got a close-up look at the terrain of Mount Sharp, the rover discovered a diverse array of rock types and signs of past water, including popcorn-textured nodules and salty minerals such as magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate (including gypsum) and sodium chloride, which makes up ordinary table salt. So it’s an exciting time when a Mars rover reaches an area high in sulfates, and the Curiosity rover recently arrived at one such location on Mount Sharp in the Gale Crater. ” It’s published in Nature Astronomy, and the senior authors are Regis Ferrière and Boris Sauterey. The sulfates had been identified from orbit by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter years ago as a key target for Curiosity to explore, and the rover has already identified a variety of rock types and salt minerals in the area including magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, and sodium chloride or table salt. "As we do before every drill, we brushed away the dust and then poked the top surface of Canaima with the drill," Kathya Zamora-Garcia, Curiosity's project manager, said in a statement . While exploring the area, the Curiosity team chose a rock they named Canaima to collect a sample from, but because of the firmness of the rock, it was a difficult one to approach. Related: 12 amazing photos from the Perseverance rover's 1st year on Mars The lander, Mars rocket and ESA orbiter are currently scheduled to launch in the 2027-2028 timeframe. The arm which Curiosity uses to move its drill into place has had some issues recently, as the brakes on the arm stopped working and a new set of spare brakes had to be used instead." The team then stopped to see whether that posed a danger to Curiosity's arm. However, the authors are clear that they’re not saying that life definitely existed on the planet. “As we do before every drill, we brushed away the dust and then poked the top surface of Canaima with the drill. The lack of scratch marks or indentations was an indication that it may prove difficult to drill,” said Curiosity’s project manager, Kathya Zamora-Garcia, in a statement. The team will now analyze pieces of the sample collected from Canaima using Curiosity's Chemical and Mineralogy instrument and Sample Analysis at Mars instrument. “We paused to consider whether that posed any risk to our arm. These early organisms lived underground, away from deadly UV radiation and cosmic rays. With the new drilling algorithm, created to minimize the use of percussion, we felt comfortable collecting a sample of Canaima. 23, 2022. 20) at the 2022 Mars Society Convention. As it turned out, no percussion was needed.” With the sample successfully collected, Curiosity can now analyze it using its instruments to learn more about the region and the sulfates it contains. It took over a month for Curiosity to safely navigate this treacherous terrain, which snakes between high hills. Gill. Editors' Recommendations .