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
|
|
Thursday, October 23
Leonardo, Airbus, Thales to merge space businesses
ANSA — 5:55 am ET (0955 GMT) Airbus, Leonardo, Thales Set 2027 For Start Of New Satellite Venture
Aviation Week — 5:54 am ET (0954 GMT) Airbus, Thales, Leonardo form European space giant amid global contest
C4ISRnet — 5:54 am ET (0954 GMT) Aerospace firms link up to create European rival to Musk’s SpaceX
The Guardian — 5:53 am ET (0953 GMT) Vantor Secures USSF Contract For Space-to-Space Imaging
Aviation Week — 5:44 am ET (0944 GMT) |
