For almost a decade, NASA’s four-wheeled robots have been climbing the foothills of Mount Sharp, a tall mountain on Mars that towers over an historical affect crater, unraveling mysteries layer by layer. Within the newest discovery, the Mars explorer stumbled upon a rock product of pure sulfur, a chemical factor that would present beneficial clues concerning the Crimson Planet’s watery previous.
The Curiosity rover not too long ago drove over a rock and by chance cracked it open. NASA stated it contained shiny yellow crystals that scientists later decided have been elemental sulfur. Though sulfur-based minerals (mixtures of sulfur with different supplies) have been discovered on Mars earlier than, that is the primary time a rock product of pure sulfur has been discovered. There could also be a bunch of them on Mars, however scientists aren’t certain how they shaped.
Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity challenge scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stated in an announcement: “Discovering a area of stones product of pure sulfur is like discovering an oasis within the desert. “It should not be there, so now now we have to clarify it.”
Pure sulfur is tasteless and odorless and happens naturally in volcanic areas as a result of oxidation of hydrogen sulfide. However this specific space that Curiosity has been exploring exhibits no indicators of previous volcanic exercise. Pure sulfur may also be shaped by means of the energetic redox of sulfur compounds by microorganisms. On this case, the invention of sulfur on Mars may assist in the seek for historical microbial life on the Crimson Planet.
The Curiosity rover has been exploring Gediz Vallis, a winding channel seemingly carved by an historical river that left a 2-mile-long path of boulders and sediment. By exploring this space, the rover is gathering clues about locations in Mars’ historical terrain that will have offered the vitamins wanted for microbial life to kind on Mars.
Curiosity was unable to acquire samples of sulfur rocks as a result of they have been too small and brittle, but it surely did discover a big rock close by that the group nicknamed “Mammoth Lakes.” The rover makes use of a drill hooked up to the top of its 7-foot (2-meter) lengthy robotic arm to punch holes within the rock and seize samples that may be analyzed by onboard devices within the rover’s stomach.
“Discovering unusual and surprising issues is what makes planetary exploration so thrilling,” Vasavada stated.
extra: Belongings you didn’t learn about NASA’s Mars rover
