Curiosity finds new evidence Mars was once habitable
Posted: Wed, Mar 13, 2013, 8:08 AM ET (1208 GMT)
Analysis of a rock sample by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has given scientists new evidence that Mars once had the right conditions to support life. Scientists reported Tuesday on the first rock sample collected by Curiosity, of a rock dubbed "John Klein", collected by the rover last month. They found that clay minerals make up at least 20 percent of the sample; such minerals form in the presence of relatively fresh water, and the presence of calcium sulfate indicates that the water was relatively neutral or mildly alkaline. The mix of oxidized and non-oxidized chemicals could also have provided an energy source for any microorganisms that lived there early in the planet's history, although Curiosity found no evidence of past or present life.
Analysis of a rock sample by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has given scientists new evidence that Mars once had the right conditions to support life. Scientists reported Tuesday on the first rock sample collected by Curiosity, of a rock dubbed "John Klein", collected by the rover last month. They found that clay minerals make up at least 20 percent of the sample; such minerals form in the presence of relatively fresh water, and the presence of calcium sulfate indicates that the water was relatively neutral or mildly alkaline. The mix of oxidized and non-oxidized chemicals could also have provided an energy source for any microorganisms that lived there early in the planet's history, although Curiosity found no evidence of past or present life.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, March 14
Britt, Tuberville talk Space Command and legislative updates for Alabama
Alabama Daily News — 4:24 am ET (0824 GMT) Calls Swell For The U.S. To Invest In Space Superiority
Aviation Week — 4:23 am ET (0823 GMT) Autonomy Has Outpaced International Space Law
War on the Rocks — 4:20 am ET (0820 GMT) Sonic boom expected from SpaceX's second launch this week from Vandenberg SFB
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA — 4:20 am ET (0820 GMT) X announces Bracket Challenge promising trip to Mars with SpaceX as grand prize
Awful Announcing — 4:19 am ET (0819 GMT) |
