Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity rover is part of Mars Exploration Program. Packed with the biggest, most advanced suite of instruments for scientific exploration of mars, its mission was to assess the planet’s environment for “habitability”. Reaching the red planet on August 5, 2012, NASA’s curiosity rover will shortly complete its 10 year on Martian soil.
Curiosity rover was designed to collect soil samples from surface and rock drills on Martian land. Additionally, Its purpose was to analyze the formation, structure, and chemical composition of the rocks as well as to examine the local geologic setting to detect chemical building blocks of life on Mars and reconstruct the Martian environment in past.
Recently, NASA has released some images of Mars surface clicked by the Mast camera or the Mastcam on-board the curiosity rover. The images have revealed some interesting findings about our neighboring red planet.
Here, we share some interesting images released by NASA from Curiosity rover, Mars.
Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Flaky, Streambed Rocks formed in an ancient stream-bed or small pond. 
Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Finger-Like Rocks likely formed as groundwater trickled through rock in the ancient past, depositing mineral cements over time. Later, the softer rock was eroded by wind around the cemented portions. The rocks were found on Mount Sharp. 
Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Sulfate-Bearing Region in the middle of the image. Layers or stripes can be seen across the mountainside. These layers represent an excellent record of how Mars’ water and climate changed over time.
Image credit -NASA/JPL-Caltech/York University
Drifting high Clouds on the Martian sky. NASA scientists believe that these clouds are very high and cold suggesting presence of carbon dioxide ice. Martian clouds are also faintly visible in the atmosphere and special imaging techniques has been used to detect them.
Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Spectacular Picture Postcard from Curiosity's Navcam. This panoramic view of Mars, artistically recreated by color addition is both gorgeous and informative. Rounded hills at center –right; a field of sand ripples “Sands of Forvie”; craggy “Rafael Navarro Mountain”, all these features show intriguing changes in the martian landscape over time.
Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Sedimentary structure of a Martian Lake-bed shows typical pattern of a lake-floor sedimentary deposit in ancient past. 
Image credit - NASA/JPL-Caltech
Martian rock slab known as "Old Soaker" shows a network of cracks. Scientists presume that it may have formed from the drying of a mud layer more than 3 billion years ago.
These stunning images together with the data samples analyzed by NASA scientist also reveal presence of organic carbon in the Martian soil. Organic carbon is the same type of carbon associated with biological processes on Earth. Scientists believe that though our neighboring planet is inhospitable now but billion years ago it has a thicker atmosphere and liquid water in streams and seas. Scientists are trying to understand and reconstruct the past climate and life on planet Mars with the vast amount of data available from the Curiosity rover and other such missions.
For more about Curiosity rover, visit http://mars.nasa.gov/msl or https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html.
Reference -
NASA's Curiosity Takes Inventory of Key Life Ingredient on Mars, Available at - https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9113/nasas-curiosity-rover-measures-intriguing-carbon-signature-on-mars/
NASA's Curiosity Rover Measures Intriguing Carbon Signature on Mars. Available at - https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9113/nasas-curiosity-rover-measures-intriguing-carbon-signature-on-mars/
NASA's Curiosity Captures Stunning Views of a Changing Mars Landscape. Available at - https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9209/nasas-curiosity-captures-stunning-views-of-a-changing-mars-landscape/
No comments:
Post a Comment