Dragon scales. Wavy. Tire tracks. Those are terms NASA Curiosity rover team members used to describe a group of odd and fascinating rocks found in the Gale Crater on Mars. The formations are decorated with dramatic patterns resembling the woven fibers of a basket. They caught the eye of scientists who are now asking, “What is that?” An investigation is underway.with its left navigation camera on April 14.
Minitti used the rover update to talk about two categories of observations made by Curiosity: typical and unusual. Typical observations include data and images collected on common types of rocks and landscape features. Sawblade, however, falls firmly into the unusual category. “We want ‘unusual’ observations because they might indicate a change in the rock type or chemistry that reveals a new geologic process or regime on Mount Sharp,” Minitti said.
Curiosity has been in residence on Mars since 2012. The rover is exploring Mount Sharp, a massive central mountain that rises 3.4 miles above the crater floor. Curiosity isn’t trying to summit the mountain, but is investigating the lower reaches.IRS Issues Another Breather For Taxpayers Who Have Inherited IRAs
The long-lived rover is on a mission to figure out if Mars might have once been able to host microbial life. NASA is particularly interested in Gale Crater’s history of water and what that might mean for past habitability. The rover recently explored what may be anCuriosity is no stranger to strange rocks. Wind is a major factor in creating the wild and wonderful shapes of rocks on Mars. The rover once spotted a rock resembling an.
Sawblade should eventually give up its secrets. For now, it stands out as a mysterious and fascinating formation worthy of closer study. Curiosity has spent many years on the red planet, and Mars still finds ways to surprise us.