NASA News: Curiosity makes ‘strangest’ and ‘most unexpected’ discovery on Planet Mars; scientists call it ‘mind-blowing’

NASA News: The Curiosity rover made its most unusual discovery on Mars: rocks made of pure sulfur. The rover drove over a rock and cracked it open, revealing yellowish-green crystals which had never been seen before on Mars.

Ashwin Vasavada, the Curiosity project scientist at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), called it the Mars mission’s strangest and most unexpected find. He attributed it to luck since not every rock contains something interesting.

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On May 30, Vasavada and his team observed Curiosity’s mosaic and noticed a crushed rock in the rover’s wheel tracks. A closer inspection revealed the “mind-blowing” discovery, according to Vasavada.

“I think it’s the strangest find of the whole mission and the most unexpected. I have to say, there’s a lot of luck involved here. Not every rock has something interesting inside,” CNN quoted Vasavada as saying.

Curiosity’s findings, including long-lasting lakes and organic materials, have contributed to the Mars mission of assessing the Red Planet’s habitability. Currently, scientists aim to understand the significance of pure sulfur on Mars and its implications for the planet’s history.

The Curiosity team was excited for the rover to explore the Gediz Vallis channel. It is believed to have formed 3 billion years ago by water and debris. This channel is carved into the 5-kilometer-tall Mount Sharp. The rover has been climbing the mountain since 2014.

Mission scientists spotted white stones in the distance and wanted a closer look. The rover drivers at JPL turned Curiosity 90 degrees so it could capture a mosaic of the landscape with its cameras.

Curiosity had previously found sulfates on Mars, salts with sulfur formed by evaporating water. The team observed gypsum, or calcium sulfate, in surface cracks, indicating deposits from ancient groundwater flows.

Silica on Mars

NASA’s Spirit rover broke a wheel while exploring Mars and had to drag it while driving backwards with the other five wheels. This dragging exposed bright white soil, which was nearly-pure silica.

The silica discovery remains one of Spirit’s most important findings during its mission from 2004 to 2011. This silica suggests that Mars may have had hot springs or steam vents, possibly creating conditions for microbial life.