Nasa rover finds another strange rock on Mars: it’s unlike anything seen on Earth

Since landing on Mars 10 years ago, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring Gale Crater. A nearly five-kilometre-long massif on Mount Sharp. The rover has been investigating rocks that serve as a record of how Mars has evolve from. A habitable wet planet to a cold desert environment.

After its traverse through a narrow, sand-lined pass. The Curiosity rover has now reache the “sulphate unit” in a region of Mount Sharp. Researchers have long been searching for, as it is full of minerals.

Nasa rover finds another strange rock on Mars: it’s unlike anything seen on Earth

And on that trip, the rover took an image of a rock dubbe. Terra Firme that resembles the open pages of a book. The image was taken on 15 April 2023, the 3,800th Martian day. Release on Monday by the space agency, using the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). The end of its robotic arm. The rock measures about 2.5 centimetres.

The figure shows the same image worked out so that it can be seen with red-blue 3D glasses.

Nasa rover finds another strange rock on Mars

And on that trip, the rover took an image of a rock dubbe “Terra Firme” that resembles the open pages of a book. The image was taken on April 15, 2023, the 3,800th Martian day, and released Monday by the space agency, using the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the end of its robotic arm. The rock measures about 2.5 centimetres.

La figura muestra la misma imagen trabajada para que pueda verse con gafas 3D rojo-azul.

Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena. California, is leading the Curiosity mission. The rover took the selfie using a camera called the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). locate on the end of its robotic arm.

Nasa rover finds another strange rock on Mars

Thesis to explain the rock that looks like nothing on Earth
According to Nasa, scientists hypothesise that billions of years ago, streams and ponds left behind minerals when the water dried up. If that hypothesis is correct, these minerals could offer tantalising clues as to how and why the planet’s climate went from being more Earth-like to that of an icy desert.

Nasa has also reporte that after years of working on the Martian surface, the rover received a major software upgrade that will allow it to drive faster and reduce wear on its wheels. Those are just two of the 180 changes implemente during the upgrade, which require the team to suspend Curiosity’s science and imaging operations between 3 and 7 April.