Planetary scientists at the European Space Agency have released 3D images of the “striking upper part of the Reull Vallis region of Mars,” which reveal a 932-mile-long (1500 kilometer) river running from the Promethei Terra Highlands to the vast Hellas basin. More »
NASA’s Curiosity rover is about to tap the rocky veins of Mars, which might yield clues to the Red Planet’s watery past. More »
It’s time to check in with our old buddy Curiosity as it makes its way across the surface of Mars. NASA announced today that the rover may have found its first rock sample, which could provide clues about whether or not the planet could have at one time supported microbial life. We’re not sure yet if Curiosity will drill into this rock to pull out a sample – first it needs to make its way over to the rock to have a closer look.
At the moment, though, things look pretty promising. NASA says the rock has a number of features that are of interest, which include “veins, nodules, cross-bedded layering, a lustrous pebble embedded in sandstone, and possibly some holes in the ground.” These could all be evidence of water, so it’s no wonder Curiosity’s engineers have decided it could potentially make a good candidate for sampling.
If it’s determined that the rock is something we want to know more about, Curiosity will use its drill to collect a sample. It will analyze the sample to find out its mineral and chemical composition, which should hopefully give us more information about the planet’s history. “Drilling into a rock to collect a sample will be this mission’s most challenging activity since the landing. It has never been done on Mars,” Mars Science Laboratory project manager Richard Cook from NASA JPL said, adding that the team won’t be surprised if a couple of things don’t go exactly as planned while Curiosity is collecting its samples.
If everything plays out the way NASA is hoping, then we should hear that Curiosity has found its first drilling target in just a few days. After that, it shouldn’t be too long before we find out about the rock’s composition, but don’t expect NASA to share the data it finds right away – after all, the agency likes to make sure that it has everything right before it makes any kind of announcement. Keep it tuned here to SlashGear, and we’ll let you know if NASA shares any new information.
[via NASA]
Curiosity’s first rock sample target may have been found is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
If you thought Mars was red, think again. When Curiosity gave the planet a New Year’s clean, she removed some of the red dust which covers the surface of the planet—and what lurks beneath is white. More »
While you’ve been out living your life in the sunshine and open air, scientists watched as six men willingly spent 520 days locked in windowless, steel tubes inside a Moscow warehouse. Results: this group, once cream of the astronaut crop, morphed into sluggish, unmotivated frat dudes. More »
“Snakes on a Planet?” asks the Mars Curiosity Rover to herself, “no, but this sinuous rock formation I spotted on Mars looks like one.” WHATEVER, Mars Curiosity Rover! I’ve had enough of your lies! More »
By now, we all know that Mars was once home to water and may have even supported life. But what would the planet have looked like when it was lush and verdant? More »
A rock from the Red Planet was discovered in the Sahara desert, and has been under study for the last year. The results from the study show that it is different from other Martian rocks that have been discovered, in that it contains more water and is older than the majority of other discoveries. The finding has been named NWA 7034, is said to be 2.1 billion years old, and offers a glimpse into Mars’ history.
Perhaps easier to remember, the rock is being referred to as Black Beauty, and was given to the University of New Mexico after being acquired in Morocco. It’s not the first rock from Mars to be found in the Sahara desert, and certainly isn’t the oldest, with that title going to a rock estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. Of the 65 or so rocks that have been found in the Sahara, most of them are younger than 600 million years.
A team at the University of New Mexico studied Black Beauty over the course of a year, during which they confirmed its Martian origins via its chemical makeup, and that it formed via a volcanic eruption. Likewise, it released a very small yet significant 6,000 parts per million of water when heated, which trumps the amount from other Martian rocks. The rock itself was relatively uncontaminated, it is being reported, and wasn’t terribly altered by Earth’s weather.
The study’s head at the University of New Mexico Carl Agee offered this statement. “Here we have a piece of Mars that I can hold in my hands. That’s really exciting … Having this sample from 2 billion years ago may give us a little bit of a glimpse of what the surface conditions were like [during the transition period when Mars went from warm and wet to cold and dry].”
[via Associated Press]
Unique Martian rock found in the Sahara desert is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has already reached a few milestones, including being the first ever to check in using Foursquare on another planet. Tonight, however, the Mars rover will make an appearance at tonight’s New Year’s celebrations in New York City’s Time Square, where millions will watch the ball drop. The rover is planning to deliver a “special message” on the big screens.
Curiosity announced the news via her Twitter account, where she tells her followers to “look for a special message from Mars on the giant Toshiba screens” in Times Square in New York City. Sadly, that’s all the information that we were given, other than it’ll be a “video greeting” and if you can’t make it to NYC for New Year’s, the rover will tweet the greeting later today anyway.
We’re not sure exactly what Curiosity has up her sleeve for tonight. It could be a live stream of Mars or just a quick pre-recorded video of the rover prancing around on the Red Planet. It would be awesome if NASA used the opportunity to announce a new discovery of the planet, but we’re guessing that the “special message” will merely just be a cheesy greeting from the rover.
The Toshiba big screens in Times Square will display the official New Year’s Eve countdown, since they’re the exclusive sponsor for the Official Countdown of the Times Square 2013 New Year’s Eve Celebration, and the company estimates that more than one billion people around the world will be tuning into the broadcast this evening.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover will deliver a “special message” in Times Square tonight is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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