The patch of windblown sand and dust downhill from a cluster of dark rocks labeled the \"Rocknest\" site, where eagle-eyed believers think they've uncovered a \"space rat.\"NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS <\/p>\n
A zoomed-in view of the \"Rocksnest\" spot; the patch of rocks in question is seen at the lower-left side.NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS <\/p>\n
An even closer, zoomed-in view of the \"Rocksnest\" spot; the \"rodent\" is seen at the top left.NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS <\/p>\n
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will apparently perform no follow-up studies of a Red Planet rock that resembles a rodent, dealing a blow to the nascent field of Martian mammalogy. <\/p>\n
The so-called \"Mars rat\" has generated a lot of Internet interest lately, with some UFO buffs claiming that it may be an indigenous Red Planet lifeform or an Earth rodent Curiosity carried to Mars as part of a secret experiment. <\/p>\n
But Curiosity scientists are pretty sure that the Mars rat which was spotted in a zoomed-in portion of a photo taken by the rover in September 2012 is just a rock. ['Mars Rat' Photographed by Curiosity Rover (Video)] <\/p>\n
\"Clearly, it results from, you know, a lot of things like wind erosion and mechanical abrasion and breakdown chemical weathering of the rocks, as to why they get these weird shapes,\" Curiosity deputy project scientist Joy Crisp, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters Wednesday. <\/p>\n
So there doesn't seem to be a lot of motivation among mission scientists to investigate the Mars rat further. And the window to do so will last just a few more weeks, as the Curiosity roveris set to begin an epic drive that will take it far away from the petrified rodent. <\/p>\n
The 1-ton robot is gearing up to embark for the base of Mount Sharp, a mysterious mountain that rises 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) into the Red Planet sky. The trek will cover about 5 miles of straight-line distance and will likely take about a year, mission managers said. <\/p>\n
Curiosity will begin the epic journey after it wraps up three tasks near its current location, none of which involve the Mars rat. The rover will search for differences in hydrogen abundance across two different types of bedrock, and it will investigate intriguing nearby outcrops called Point Lake and Shaler, researchers said. <\/p>\n
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NASA Abandons 'Mars Rat'<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The patch of windblown sand and dust downhill from a cluster of dark rocks labeled the \"Rocknest\" site, where eagle-eyed believers think they've uncovered a \"space rat.\"NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS A zoomed-in view of the \"Rocksnest\" spot; the patch of rocks in question is seen at the lower-left side.NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS An even closer, zoomed-in view of the \"Rocksnest\" spot; the \"rodent\" is seen at the top left.NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will apparently perform no follow-up studies of a Red Planet rock that resembles a rodent, dealing a blow to the nascent field of Martian mammalogy. The so-called \"Mars rat\" has generated a lot of Internet interest lately, with some UFO buffs claiming that it may be an indigenous Red Planet lifeform or an Earth rodent Curiosity carried to Mars as part of a secret experiment. Continue reading