NASA’s rover sees mounds, flaky stones on Mars, a sign of weather changes billions of years ago
Images from NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars show new things every day. Now a new picture of the rover has indicated the drying of the Martian climate in ancient times. NASA’s Curiosity rover is traveling through a transition zone in a clay-rich area filled with a salty mineral called sulfate. The mounds are being seen in the picture sent by the rover, due to which scientists believe that the stream must have dried up and mud dunes may have been formed.
Scientists believe that these reflect a major change in the climate of Mars billions of years ago. The rover continues to climb higher. He has seen these mounds from a height. Ashwin Vasavada, Project Scientist for Curiosity at NASA’s JPL, says, ‘We are no longer seeing the lake deposits that have been visible for years. Rather, we have also seen a lot of evidence of arid climates, such as dry mounds around which sometimes currents have been flowing. This must have been a big change for the lakes that were formed millions of years ago.
Rover will drill the last hole
As the rover continues to climb, it is detecting less soil and more sulfate. The varying mineral composition of these rocks are puzzling scientists. To understand them better, the rover will soon dig a rock sample here. This will be the last sample of the rover. The rover has also seen those rocks which are in many layers. Scientists believe that these stones must have been formed due to ancient water stream or small pond.
Getting old Rover!
The Curiosity rover will celebrate its 10th birthday on August 5 on Mars. This rover has been on the Red Planet for a decade. This NASA rover is now slowly moving towards retirement and its signs are also visible. Holes were seen in its aluminum wheels. A photo taken on June 2 showed a hole in one of its wheels. However, JPL said that it will not cause any problem. He can still walk on his rim if his wheels are completely ruined. Earlier on June 7, the rover went into safe mode. That’s because a part of it got too hot. Two days later, the rover came out of safe mode. NASA is still searching for the reason.
