Striking rock formations documented by the rover provide evidence of a drying climate in the Red Planets ancient past.
For the past year, NASAs Curiosity Mars rover has been traveling through a transition zone from a clay-rich region to one filled with a salty mineral called sulfate. While the science team targeted the clay-rich region and the sulfate-laden one for evidence each can offer about Mars watery past, the transition zone is proving to be scientifically fascinating as well. In fact, this transition may provide the record of a major shift in Mars climate billions of years ago that scientists are just beginning to understand.
The clay minerals formed when lakes and streams once rippled across Gale Crater, depositing sediment at what is now the base of Mount Sharp, the 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain whose foothills Curiosity has been ascending since 2014. Higher on the mountain in the transition zone, Curiositys observations show that the streams dried into trickles and sand dunes formed above the lake sediments.
Curiosity's Mastcam Views Flaky, Streambed Rocks: NASAs Curiosity Mars rover captured this view of layered, flaky rocks believed to have formed in an ancient streambed or small pond. The six images that make up this mosaic were captured using Curiositys Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on June 2, 2022, the 3,492nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. Download image
We no longer see the lake deposits that we saw for years lower on Mount Sharp, said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiositys project scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Instead, we see lots of evidence of drier climates, like dry dunes that occasionally had streams running around them. Thats a big change from the lakes that persisted for perhaps millions of years before.
As the rover climbs higher through the transition zone, it is detecting less clay and more sulfate. Curiosity will soon drill the last rock sample it will take in this zone, providing a more detailed glimpse into the changing mineral composition of these rocks.
Mars Report - How Scientists Study Wind on Mars: NASA's spacecraft on Mars are all affected by the winds of the Red Planet, which can produce a tiny dust devil or a global dust storm. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Download video Unique geologic features also stand out in this zone. The hills in the area likely began in a dry environment of large, wind-swept sand dunes, hardening into rock over time. Interspersed in the remains of these dunes are other sediments carried by water, perhaps deposited in ponds or small streams that once wove among the dunes. These sediments now appear as erosion-resistant stacks of flaky layers, like one nicknamed The Prow.
Making the story richer yet more complicated is the knowledge that there were multiple periods in which groundwater ebbed and flowed over time, leaving a jumble of puzzle pieces for Curiositys scientists to assemble into an accurate timeline.
Curiosity's 360-degree Panorama Near 'Sierra Maigualida': NASAs Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree panorama near a location nicknamed Sierra Maigualida on May 22, 2022, the 3,481st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The panorama is made up of 133 individual images captured by Curiositys Mast Camera, or Mastcam. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. Download image
Ten Years On, Going Strong
Curiosity will celebrate its 10th year on Mars Aug. 5. While the rover is showing its age after a full decade of exploring, nothing has prevented it from continuing its ascent.
On June 7, Curiosity went into safe mode after detecting a temperature reading on an instrument control box within the body of the rover that was warmer than expected. Safe mode occurs when a spacecraft senses an issue and automatically shuts down all but its most essential functions so that engineers can assess the situation.
Although Curiosity exited safe mode and returned to normal operations two days later, JPLs engineers are still analyzing the exact cause of the issue. They suspect safe mode was triggered after a temperature sensor provided an inaccurate measurement, and theres no sign it will significantly affect rover operations since backup temperature sensors can ensure the electronics within the rover body arent getting too hot.
The rovers aluminum wheels are also showing signs of wear. On June 4, the engineering team commanded Curiosity to take new pictures of its wheels something it had been doing every 3,281 feet (1,000 meters) to check their overall health.
The team discovered that the left middle wheel had damaged one of its grousers, the zig-zagging treads along Curiositys wheels. This particular wheel already had four broken grousers, so now five of its 19 grousers are broken.
The previously damaged grousers attracted attention online recently because some of the metal skin between them appears to have fallen out of the wheel in the past few months, leaving a gap.
The team has decided to increase its wheel imaging to every 1,640 feet (500 meters) a return to the original cadence. A traction control algorithm had slowed wheel wear enough to justify increasing the distance between imaging.
We have proven through ground testing that we can safely drive on the wheel rims if necessary, said Megan Lin, Curiositys project manager at JPL. If we ever reached the point that a single wheel had broken a majority of its grousers, we could do a controlled break to shed the pieces that are left. Due to recent trends, it seems unlikely that we would need to take such action. The wheels are holding up well, providing the traction we need to continue our climb.
For more information about Curiosity, visit:
mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/
and
nasa.gov/curiosity
News Media Contacts
Andrew GoodJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-2433andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
Karen Fox / Alana JohnsonNASA Headquarters, Washington301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov
Link:
NASA's Curiosity Captures Stunning Views of a Changing Mars Landscape
- Scientist explains the weird stuff that would happen to the first humans who live on Mars - UNILAD - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Heating Mars On The Cheap - Hackaday - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Elon Musk just gave another Mars speechthis time the vision seems tangible - Ars Technica - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Thousands of strange white rocks found on Mars. Will they ever be brought to Earth? - Space.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Could microbes feed astronauts on Mars? - Sciworthy - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Elon Musk to send a million people to Mars - AzerNews.Az - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars Announced as L.A.s Intuit Dome Grand Opening Performer - Hollywood Reporter - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- L.A. Clippers New Intuit Dome Will See Bruno Mars As Its Opening Act - Deadline - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA's Curiosity Mars rover begins exploring possible dried-up Red Planet river - Space.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA`s Perseverance rover spots thousands of `unusual` white rocks on Mars - WION - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- For Elon Musk and His Disciples, Mars Is Heaven - The Catholic Thing - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Mission to Mars? Vertical Future to develop prototype for growing crops in space - BusinessGreen - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- SpaceX plans to leave the first humans on Mars stranded with no way home - TweakTown - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Astrophysicist called the colonization of Mars a dangerous illusion - The Universe. Space. Tech - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars Announced as Intuit Dome's Grand Opening Performer With Two Shows in Los Angeles on August 15 and 16 - Business Wire - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Mars may not have had liquid water long enough for life to form - Ars Technica - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA Crashed a Spacecraft Into an Asteroid and There Could Be Some Consequences - Popular Mechanics - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Madison board to vote on Mars Hill wedding venue, 1st since event venue moratorium - Citizen Times - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Want to Start a Farm on Mars? This Rover Will Find Out if it's Possible - Universe Today - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars will open the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood with 2 shows in August - Daily Breeze - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- The Vanguard of the Red Planet: Understanding the Drive Behind Mars Colonization - yTech - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- New insights into Mars' vanishing water mystery from Curiosity rover - Earth.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars announced as grand opening act of Inglewood's new Intuit Dome - FOX 11 Los Angeles - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Mars and FAO Food Safety Partnership Targets Mycotoxins - Food Digital - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Preparing for the Psychological Journey to Mars: Innovative Research on Astronaut Well-being - yTech - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA May Have Inadvertently Redirected An Asteroid At Mars - IFLScience - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- NASA mission sparks 'space billiards' as boulders head toward Mars - Gwinnettdailypost.com - April 8th, 2024 [April 8th, 2024]
- Giant Mars asteroid impact creates vast field of destruction with 2 billion craters - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- NASA's attempt to bring home part of Mars is unprecedented: The mission's problems are not - Phys.org - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Spacecraft Marks 25,000 Orbits With Volcanoes, Clouds And A Moon - Forbes - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- NASA smashed an asteroid with a rocket. The debris could hit Mars. - National Geographic - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Elon Musk Says 'Almost Anyone' Can Afford A $100,000 Ticket To Mars By Working And Saving But 57% Of People ... - Yahoo Finance - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Mysteries: Unveiling the Icy Craters - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Future Mars plane could help solve Red Planet methane mystery (exclusive) - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Sols 4137-4138: Fascinated by Fascination Turret! NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Drilling for water ice on Mars: How close are we to making it happen? - Space.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- This Summer, Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Deads From the Mars Hotel - Rolling Stone - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars and Las Vegas from those MGM debt rumours to his new bar - Style - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars using Ansys software to transform packaging development - Recycling Today - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars as a Driver of Deep-Sea Erosion - Eos - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- A Song of Ice and Tectonics - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Mars Hill students, faculty join residents to mourn 10 campus trees ahead of removal - Citizen Times - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) - Shore Fire Media - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Texas will be the launchpad for Mars: Governor announces board of directors for Texas Space Commission - KWTX - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- M&Ms and Snickers parent company Mars spending $70M to open an 'innovation lab' in NJ - NorthJersey.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Historic water bomber, Hawaii Martin Mars, to be displayed in BC museum - The Nelson Daily - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) - NASA - NASA Mars Exploration - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- This little rover will ride shotgun on Japan's ambitious Mars moon sample-return mission - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Lawmakers announce caucus focused on space and planetary science - NBC News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The science value of Mars Sample Return - The Planetary Society - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Study determines the original orientations of rocks drilled on Mars - MIT News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The secret history of water on Mars: What ancient climate change tells us about the future on Earth - Salon - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Bridging the cultural divide for moon to Mars - SpaceNews - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mars was once a cradle for life, according to scientists - Earth.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Curiosity Rover is Climbing Through Dramatic Striped Terrain on Mars - Universe Today - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Sols 4114-4115: Bingo! It's Official Curiosity's 40th Successful Drill Hole on Mars! NASA Mars Exploration - NASA Mars Exploration - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Will NASA be able to return Mars samples to Earth? New audit raises doubts - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA Discovery Could Mean Mars Had Life-Supporting Hydrothermal Vents - Syfy - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Perseverance rover spots Ingenuity helicopter's snapped-off rotor blade on Mars (photos) - Space.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA's Mars Sample Return Program struggles to get off the drawing board - The Register - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- NASA Eyes New Operating Plan For Mars Sample Return Mission - Aviation Week - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Scientists find unexpected biomolecule on Mars that could have triggered life on the red planet - WION - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mythical Retellings, Mars Colonies, and Reincarnated Lovers: March's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books - Literary Hub - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Bruno Mars adding 12 new Las Vegas performances, opens The Pinky Ring - KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Contact restored with NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter - UPI News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Massive deposits of water ice discovered on the equator of Mars - EL PAS USA - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Do we have to go to Mars to see the Martian Mountains? - Tehran Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA lost contact with its Mars helicopter. - The Verge - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- MICK MARS Shows Off His Guitar Collection - "I'm A Tone Guy, Even Though I'm Half Deaf Now"; Video - bravewords.com - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Opens Transformative $42m Snacking Research and Development Hub in Chicago - PR Newswire - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA lost contact with Mars helicopter Ingenuity, then managed to find it again - The Register - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mick Mars Explains What Set Mtley Cre Apart from Other '80s Bands, Recalls Why They Decided to Tune Down - Ultimate Guitar - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Suspected Small Oceans Worth of Ice Found Under Surface of Mars - High Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars Express Finds New Evidence for Ice-Rich Layered Deposits in Medusae Fossae - Sci.News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mysterious patch on Mars appears to be enormous lump of ice - New Scientist - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Solvents may pave way for building on Mars and the moon - Futurity: Research News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- A Massive Amount of Water Ice Has Been Found on Mars, Lurking Beneath The Equator - ScienceAlert - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA says it's reestablished contact with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter - Engadget - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Mars senior executive reveals his best career hack for climbing the corporate ladder: Stop fixating on that promotion. Worry about learning, not your... - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- NASA has lost communication with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter - Digital Trends - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]