XPost: alt.astronomy, alt.fan.heinlein

from https://www.unilad.com/technology/nasa/nasa-curiosity-mars-rover-pure-sulfur-rock-076293-20240721

It is best to go to the citation to see the pictures.

Mars rover accidentally discovers 'mind-blowing' substance that has
scientists struggling to explain it
NASA has revealed its Curiosity Mars rover has made an 'exciting'
discovery which 'shouldn't be there'
Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

NASA's Curiosity Rover has discovered a 'surprise' substance on Mars
which 'shouldn't be there'.

NASA’s rover has been exploring the fourth planet from the Sun since
2012, however, on May 30 it made a particularly 'exciting' discovery
which has left scientists scratching their heads.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover first went to Mars in 2012 to explore an area
called the Gale Crater - 'a large impact basin with a massive, layered
mountain in the middle'. And for the past year or so, NASA's rover has
been exploring a 'special region' of the Gale Crater which is 'rich with sulfates' known as the Gediz Vallis - a channel located in the center of
the crater, which winds down the slopes of Mount Sharp.

Scientists have hypothesized that 'billions of years ago, streams, and
ponds left behind the minerals as the water dried up' leaving
sulfur-based minerals - 'a mix of sulfur and other materials'.

"Assuming the hypothesis is correct, these minerals offer tantalizing
clues as to how - and why - the Red Planet’s climate changed from being
more Earth-like to the frozen desert it is today," it adds.

Indeed, the Mars rover has already discovered 'a diverse array of rock
types and signs of past water,' finding minerals such as magnesium
sulfate, calcium sulfate and sodium chloride. However, two months ago,
the Mars rover made a remarkable and unexpected discovery while
traversing the salty terrain.

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover made the discovery (NASA Visualization
Technology Applications and Development (VTAD))
In a press release shared earlier this week on 18 July, NASA revealed
the Curiosity Rover had found a rock on the planet which is 'made of
elemental, or pure, sulfur'.

The inside of the rock was only revealed after the rover drove over it
and accidentally cracked it open, revealing yellow sulfur crystals inside.

The rock was then analyzed by the rover using its Mastcam and its
composition detected through the use of its robotic arm known as the
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer.

The rover found yellow crystals of elemental sulfur (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
The rover found yellow crystals of elemental sulfur (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) NASA explains it 'isn't clear what relationship, if any, the elemental
sulfur has to other sulfur-based minerals in the area' and what's more,
the rover didn't just find one rock containing pure sulfur, but 'an
entire field'.

And given how pure sulfur only forms in 'a narrow range of conditions
that scientists haven't associated with the history' of the location the
rover was in, the discovery has left them fairly baffled.

While acknowledging there was 'a lot of luck involved' - quite literally
- in the rover stumbling upon the rock, Curiosity’s project scientist,
Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern
California, stated: "Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is
like finding an oasis in the desert."

Vasavada resolved: "It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary
exploration so exciting."

Featured Image Credit: NASA
Topics: Mars, NASA, Science, Space, Technology

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