Mars is a desert wasteland. However billions of years in the past, water flowed throughout the Pink Planet in streams and rivers, pooling into ponds and lakes. An ocean bigger than Earth’s Arctic Ocean could have even dominated Mars’ northern hemisphere.
Sooner or later, nevertheless, the water dried up, forsaking the desiccated world we all know at the moment.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is now on the hunt for the minerals left behind throughout that drying interval on Mars, as they may provide clues as to exactly how and why the martian local weather modified so drastically. And just lately, Curiosity lastly arrived at a promising area of Mars’ Mount Sharp that’s enriched with the salty minerals it seeks.
Journey by means of the Paraitepuy Cross
This mineral-rich area of Mars was initially noticed by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, lengthy earlier than Curiosity even landed on the Pink Planet. And with Curiosity recently celebrating its 10th year on Mars, scientists desperate to discover this intriguing space have endured a protracted wait.
However endurance received out when Curiosity started its prolonged trek to the sulfate-enriched space. It wasn’t simple going, nevertheless, because the rover needed to make it by means of treacherous terrain, together with Paraitepuy Pass.
