Mars Rover Makes Two Significant Discoveries

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Category: Earth, Air, Space Science

Published on Thursday, 23 January 2014 06:13

Written by Janet Walker

Mars Rover, the mechanical robotic vehicle designed to drive across the red planet gathering evidence, has recently made two huge discoveries building a solid belief that life, in some form, could have existed on the planet.

The rover, named Curiosity, is the second vehicle launched by NASA to roll across the surface relaying pictures and allowing scientists to program the vehicle to perform scientific testing on samples of rocks, soil and air quality.

Curiosity launched November 2011 and nine months later in August 2012 landed. Picking up where its sister vessel Opportunity left off, Curiosity immediately began relaying data back to NASA’s JPL laboratories in Pasadena, California.

Over the 18 months since Curiosity landed, NASA has reported major discoveries leading scientists to believe all the elements, at one time, existed to support, in some form, life.

The Jelly Donut rock, the most recent phenomenon making the headlines from NASA, which came into view of Curiosity’s web cam vision, caused speculation over its sudden appearance, shape, formation and composition.

Fortunately the scientists were not surprised by the miracle rock from Mars and analytically reviewed the data coming up with the conclusion that Curiosity’s vibrations on the surface dislodged the rock, which had a jelly donut appearance, round with a red center, and it rolled into camera views.

It did allow them to test the sample, which contained large amounts on magnesium and sulfur a very uncommon combination.

No word has filtered out of the labs on further testing of the rocks origins or if, in fact, the rock will be named, other than jelly donut rock on Mars.

Curiosity is creating quite a stir in the scientific community with successive discoveries causing JPL scientists to marvel at the revelation and the possibilities that there was in fact life on Mars.

In December 2013, the discovery of water on Mars was the strongest indicator to date of establishing pre-existing evidence of some life form inhabiting the red planet.

Scientists released the top five discoveries on Mars and were surprised over the different topography on the planet. Not unlike Earth, Mars has multiple types of land surfaces including, near what is named Gale Crater, volcanic rock, water transported sand dunes, mudstone and mineral veins.

Scientists also released evidence of smooth rocks usually found in stream beds lending credence to the strong possibility of inhabitability.

Two discoveries which dealt a blow to the human existence theory were the lack of Methane gas which all living organisms produce and the extremely high levels of radiation Curiosity encountered on the journey.

Both at this point have the NASA team heading back to the drawing board to test out new theories on to determine the possibility of once present methane and through cataclysm or other interference the gas evaporated and determining how human can be protected from the radiation which would inhibit any Mars space exploration.