The search for traces of past life on Mars falls on two rovers from NASA. Perseverance is the most modern and the one that provides the best photos. Curiosity has been traveling the red planet for a decade now. Its initial mission was completed successfully, but its construction was so good that it is still used to investigate promising terrain.
Curiosity has been exploring the Gediz Vallis channel for a year, a site that has long been a mystery to scientists. From satellites, astronomers could see a clearer “patch of land” compared to regular terrain. When he arrived rover During reconnaissance, they discovered that they were white rocks with deposits of pure sulfur. It was the first time that an instrument detected an accumulation of that element on Mars.
For NASA, it’s time for Curiosity to set off in search of new adventures. There is nothing more to investigate on the ground. But before leaving the Gediz Vallis canal, the rover has taken one last photo in 360° format to immortalize the moment. The space agency has just published the result of that photo session and, as a detail to the public, highlights the area where the enigmatic sulphurous rocks are.
Photography in 360° format of the Gediz Vallis canal
The story of Curiosity and the sulfur of Mars
According to researchers, the discovery of sulfur came almost by accident. When Curiosity came to the scene at a speed of four centimeters per second, it accidentally broke one of the white elements on the ground. Yellow crystals sprouted from its fragments. The instruments of roveroriginally intended to understand the environment of Mars, confirmed the presence of pure sulfur.
Scientists investigating Curiosity observations accept that they have no idea where the sulfur comes from in that part of the planet. On Earth, this material is associated with volcanic activity and hot springs. However, in the region where the yellow crystals were found there is no evidence of similar phenomena.
“We looked at the sulfur field from all angles, from the top and from the sides, and looked for anything mixed with the sulfur that could give us clues about how it formed. We’ve gathered a ton of data and now we have a fun puzzle to solve. solve”, explained Ashwin VasavadaCuriosity project scientist.
The new destiny of the veteran rover It is a region known as ‘boxwork’, which from satellites appears to be a giant spider web. NASA estimates that the formation was created from the last pulses of liquid water from Mars on the ground. “The pulses settled into fractures in the surface rock and then hardened. As parts of the rock eroded, what remained were the minerals that had cemented into the fractures, leaving the spiderweb-shaped box,” the agency said in a statement.
Curiosity will now walk at a maximum speed of 144 meters per hour to check that box full of cobwebs. Scientists are optimistic. Close reconnaissance may lead to more discoveries like the one that occurred with the Martian sulfur deposits.
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