Monday, October 28, 2019

NASA's Curiosity rover takes a selfie on the surface of Mars

The NASA Curiosity rover took a break from the alien hunt and made a nice selfie on the surface of Mars. The photo was taken to celebrate a great moment: the first time the robot performed a chemical experiment in the Glen Etive crater, rich in clay. You can see two small holes on the left of the rover where scientists hope to find the remains of bacterial life that died millions of years ago. The photo is sewn from a series of 57 photos taken in the robotic arm of Curiosity earlier this month. NASA scientists have been waiting for seven years for the ideal location for the rover to conduct "wet chemistry" experiments in its portable laboratory. SAM Principal Researcher Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, said, "We are looking forward to finding a zone that is compelling enough for wet chemistry. 'Now that we are in the clay unit, we have finally understood.' This is the second time that Curiosity has been conducting an experiment using liquid chemicals after scientists were forced to use its limited reserves when its drill did not work well in December. 2016. Curiosity landed on the red planet in 2012 and the Glen Etive is considered a "strategic location" that will tell more about the formation of the unit containing clay.

They took advantage of the precious dress rehearsal at Ogunquit Beach, Maine, Connecticut, USA, to make adjustments that improved the recent experience. The results will be known next year. Mr. Mahaffy added, "SAM's data is extremely complex and takes time to interpret, but we are all looking forward to seeing what we can learn from this new location, Glen Etive." At about 98 meters (300 m) behind the rover is Vera Rubin Ridge, which Curiosity left almost a year ago, and beyond the ridge you can see the Gale crater floor and the northern edge of the crater. Mount Sharp, a 3-mile mountain inside the crater Clay-based rocks preserve chemical compounds, which dissolve over time when they are bombarded by radiation from space and the sun. The scientific team is intrigued by the question of whether organic compounds - elements of life - have been preserved in the rocks of Glen Etive, and how this area will give them a better idea of ​​how the climate is. it has changed billions of years ago and hopefully will provide clues as to whether the red planet has ever supported life.

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