Posts Tagged ‘CURIOSITY ROVER’

Curiosity rover tests rock, shows Mars had right ingredients to support primitive life

By The Associated Press - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - 0 Comments

[View the story "Curiosity Rover collects bedrock sample from Mars" on Storify]
LOS ANGELES,…

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – NASA scientists say tests on a Mars rock show the planet could have supported primitive life.

The analysis was done by the rover Curiosity, which drilled into the rock, crushed it and tested a tiny sample. The rover was the first spacecraft sent to Mars that could collect a sample from deep inside a rock.

At a briefing at NASA’s Washington headquarters on Tuesday, NASA scientist said the rock contains clay minerals that formed in a watery environment — an environment that may be favourable for microscopic organisms.

Curiosity had already found a hint of the site’s watery past — an ancient streambed that the six-wheel rover crossed to get to the flat bedrock.

The rover made a dramatic landing near the Mars equator last August for a two-year mission.

  • Curiosity rover drilled into flat Martian rock; NASA to reveal what’s inside

    By The Associated Press - Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 6:40 AM - 0 Comments

    LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Curiosity drilled into its first Martian rock a month ago….

    LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Curiosity drilled into its first Martian rock a month ago. Now scientists will reveal what’s inside.

    Gathering at NASA headquarters Tuesday, the rover team will detail the minerals and chemicals present in a grey pinch of ground-up rock.

    The rock results come seven months after Curiosity made a dramatic landing in an ancient crater near the equator. It has been slow going since then as engineers learn to handle the car-size rover.

    Scientists are thrilled with the latest achievement — a first on Mars. It involved boring a hole, scooping the powder and running it through Curiosity’s instruments.

    By analyzing the rock’s interior, researchers hope to determine whether the landing spot was habitable. They already have one hint — an ancient streambed that Curiosity crossed to get to the rock.

    Curiosity Rover collects bedrock sample from Mars

    NASA announced Saturday that its Curiosity Rover had used a drill at the end of its robotic arm to collect a sample from Mars.

    Storified by Maclean’s Magazine· Tue, Mar 12 2013 03:39:00

    Lookie what I did! It’s a hole in 1 rock on Mars. This "mini drill" was a test, more to come! http://bit.ly/11sLZ1s http://twitpic.com/c1oavaCuriosity Rover
    #Nasa’s @MarsCuriosity rover uses drill system for the first time http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21312821 & http://pic.twitter.com/Bx8WzxD4BBC News US
    NASA says the hole in the sedimentary bedrock is about 1.6 centimetres by 6.4 centimetres. “The rock is believed to hold evidence about long-gone wet environments,” the space agency explained. “The rover will use its laboratory instruments to analyze rock powder collected by the drill.”
    The real deal! First drilling on Mars to collect a sample for SCIENCE is a success. http://bit.ly/W7EqY0 http://twitpic.com/c2842cCuriosity Rover
    Blink and you’ll miss it! See the before-and-after blink of my "mini drill" into a Martian rock [gif] http://go.nasa.gov/V1YYCaCuriosity Rover
    @Raffo84 Yep! My Powder Acquisition Drill System (PADS) is a rotary percussive drill.Curiosity Rover
    NASA is pretty proud of its rover. “The most advanced planetary robot ever designed is now a fully operating laboratory on Mars,” said a member of the agency’s space directorate.
    In other news, the Curiosity Rover has also learned how to take a selfie — a process it explains below:
    How do I take selfies on Mars? By taking multiple pics w/ a camera at the end of my arm. Here’s how it’s done: http://go.nasa.gov/UHonU2Curiosity Rover

  • Curiosity Rover drills hole, collects sample, then — like everyone else on Twitter — tells world

    By macleans.ca - Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 5:15 PM - 0 Comments

    [View the story "Curiosity Rover collects bedrock sample from Mars" on Storify]…

From Macleans