Latest news with #CuriosityRover
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
We may finally know what happened to the water on Mars
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. For decades, scientists have theorized about how Mars reached its current state. Many believe that the Red Planet's surface may have once been covered in rivers and oceans. But, if that's really the case, what happened to all of the water on Mars? Well, new research could fundamentally change everything we know about our neighboring planet. According to a new study conducted by the University of Chicago, data captured by NASA's Curiosity rover may hold the key to learning more about Mars' history as a whole. While some theories say that Mars was once covered with water and then evolved to become the desert planet it is now, this new research suggests that Mars has always been a desert planet, with eras of water-heavy development sprinkled in. Today's Top Deals XGIMI Prime Day deals feature the new MoGo 4 and up to 42% off smart projectors Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals The research, which is published in the journal Nature, suggests that instead of being habitable in a similar way to Earth, Mars follows a natural pattern that favors more desert-like conditions. It's an intriguing discovery that could completely change what we know about the Red Planet. This is especially interesting, as we know that Mars shares a lot of similarities with Earth. So, if it is determined that the planet favors desert conditions instead of more water-heavy conditions like our own planet, then it could change how we need to approach the science of understanding the Martian surface entirely. One of the biggest reasons that the history of water on Mars has been so intriguing is that the current atmosphere doesn't seem to support such a past. In order to determine this, though, we had to find the right kind of rocks. Those carbonate rocks were discovered earlier this year by Curiosity, which helped us paint a better picture of how Mars' carbon cycle works. The carbon cycle is very similar to the same cycle that Earth follows, which scientists believe has helped our planet remain as stable and habitable as it has. Of course, learning more about the Red Planet and what happened to Mars' water could also rely on us getting boots on the ground, something NASA and others are keen to accomplish within the next decade. More Top Deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See the
CTV News
02-07-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Why is there no life on Mars? Rover finds a clue
This image made available by NASA shows the planet Mars. (NASA via AP, File) Why is Mars barren and uninhabitable, while life has always thrived here on our relatively similar planet Earth? A discovery made by a NASA rover has offered a clue for this mystery, new research said Wednesday, suggesting that while rivers once sporadically flowed on Mars, it was doomed to mostly be a desert planet. Mars is thought to currently have all the necessary ingredients for life except for perhaps the most important one: liquid water. However the red surface is carved out by ancient rivers and lakes, showing that water once flowed on our nearest neighbour. There are currently several rovers searching Mars for signs of life that could have existed back in those more habitable times, millions of years ago. Earlier this year, NASA's Curiosity rover discovered a missing piece in this puzzle: rocks that are rich in carbonate minerals. These 'carbonates' -- such as limestone on Earth -- act as a sponge for carbon dioxide, pulling it in from the atmosphere and trapping it in rock. A new study, published in the journal Nature, modelled exactly how the existence of these rocks could change our understanding of Mars's past. Brief 'oases' Lead study author Edwin Kite, a planetary scientist at the University of Chicago and a member of the Curiosity team, told AFP it appeared there were 'blips of habitability in some times and places' on Mars. But these 'oases' were the exception rather than the rule. On Earth, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet. Over long timescales, the carbon becomes trapped in rocks such as carbonates. Then volcanic eruptions spew the gas back into the atmosphere, creating a well-balanced climate cycle supportive of consistently running water. However Mars has a 'feeble' rate of volcanic outgassing compared to Earth, Kite said. This throws off the balance, leaving Mars much colder and less hospitable. According to the modelling research, the brief periods of liquid water on Mars were followed by 100 million years of barren desert -- a long time for anything to survive. It is still possible that there are pockets of liquid water deep underground on Mars we have not yet found, Kite said. NASA's Perseverance Rover, which landed on an ancient Martian delta in 2021, has also found signs of carbonates at the edge of dried-up lake, he added. Next, the scientists hope to discover more evidence of carbonates. Kite said the best proof would be returning rock samples from the Martian surface back to Earth -- both the United States and China are racing to do this in the next decade. Are we alone? Ultimately, scientists are searching for an answer to one of the great questions: how common are planets like Earth that can harbour life? Astronomers have discovered nearly 6,000 planets beyond our Solar System since the early 1990s. But only for Mars and Earth can scientists study rocks which allow them to understand the planet's past, Kite said. If we do determine that Mars never hosted even tiny micro-organisms during its watery times, that would indicate it is difficult to kick-start life across the universe. But if we discover proof of ancient life, that would 'basically be telling us the origin of life is easy on a planetary scale,' Kite said.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's Mars rover proves these peculiar ridges have secrets to tell
NASA's Curiosity rover has started drilling into a bizarre landscape on Mars that could upend assumptions about when the Red Planet truly dried out. After a long drive, the Mini Cooper-sized robot reached a so-called boxwork region, where a gridlike pattern of ridges splays over six to 12 miles. For years, orbiters had observed this area from space but never up close. Scientists had hypothesized before the rover arrived that the peculiar ridges formed with the last trickles of water in the region before it dried out for good. But mineral veins discovered in the boxwork suggest groundwater stuck around longer than anyone expected. The bedrock between the ridges contains tiny white veins of calcium sulfate, a salty mineral left behind as groundwater seeps into rock cracks. Deposits of the material were plentiful in lower rock layers from an earlier Martian period. But no one thought they'd appear in the layer Curiosity is exploring now, which formed much later. "That's really surprising," said Curiosity's deputy project scientist, Abigail Fraeman, in a statement. "These calcium sulfate veins used to be everywhere, but they more or less disappeared as we climbed higher up Mount Sharp. The team is excited to figure out why they've returned now." SEE ALSO: Rubin Observatory's first images flaunt millions of galaxies. Take a look. Ancient Mars used to be wetter — flush with rivers, lakes, and maybe even oceans — but over billions of years, it turned into a dusty, cold desert. What's unclear is when that shift happened and how long conditions suitable for life might have lingered. Curiosity's new findings complicate what scientists thought they knew about the timeline. The rover has spent more than a decade in Gale Crater climbing Mount Sharp, reading the rock layers like pages in a planetary chronicle. The layer it's on now is chock-full of magnesium sulfates, salty minerals that typically form as water evaporates. That fits the narrative researchers had expected: This was supposed to be a chapter when Mars was well on its way to arid. That's why a new sample Curiosity drilled this month, dubbed Altadena, could be enlightening. As the rover analyzes the boxwork's composition, scientists may gain a better understanding of how it formed, what minerals are present, and whether any clues about ancient single-celled microorganisms might be hidden there. The rover will drill more ridges in the coming months to compare them and evaluate how groundwater may have changed over time. Bedrock between the boxwork ridges contains tiny white veins of calcium sulfate. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS The mission's next targets lie farther into the boxwork region, where the patterns grow larger and more distinct. Curiosity will keep looking for organic molecules and other potential evidence of a habitable environment in Mars' ancient past. The rover team has begun nicknaming features after places near Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni, one of the driest, saltiest places on Earth. It's reminiscent of the Martian landscape Curiosity is sightseeing today. "Early Earth microbes could have survived in a similar environment," said Kirsten Siebach, a rover scientist based in Houston, in an earlier statement. "That makes this an exciting place to explore."
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Close-up images of The Red Planet's ridges from Mars Rover show ‘dramatic evidence' of water
Close-up images of a region of Mars scientists had previously only seen from orbit have revealed 'dramatic evidence' of where water once flowed on the Red Planet. The new images taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover raises fresh questions about how the Martian surface was changing billions of years ago. Mars once had rivers, lakes, and possibly an ocean, NASA said. Scientists aren't sure why the water eventually dried up, leading the planet to transform into the chilly desert it is today. Curiosity's images show evidence of ancient groundwater crisscrossing low ridges, arranged in what geologists call a boxwork pattern, the space agency said. 'By the time Curiosity's current location formed, the long-lived lakes were gone in Gale Crater, the rover's landing area, but water was still percolating under the surface,' NASA said in a news release. 'The rover found dramatic evidence of that groundwater when it encountered crisscrossing low ridges.' 'The bedrock below these ridges likely formed when groundwater trickling through the rock left behind minerals that accumulated in those cracks and fissures, hardening and becoming cementlike,' the release continued. 'Eons of sandblasting by Martian wind wore away the rock but not the minerals, revealing networks of resistant ridges within.' The rover has been exploring the planet's Mount Sharp since 2014, where the boxwork patterns have been found. Curiosity essentially 'time travels' as it ascends from the oldest to youngest layers, searching for signs of water and environments that could have supported ancient microbial life, NASA explained. 'A big mystery is why the ridges were hardened into these big patterns and why only here,' Curiosity's project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada, said. 'As we drive on, we'll be studying the ridges and mineral cements to make sure our idea of how they formed is on target.' In another clue, scientists observed that the ridges have small fractures filled with the salty mineral calcium sulfate, left behind by groundwater. Curiosity's deputy project scientist, Abigail Fraeman, said it was a 'really surprising' discovery. 'These calcium sulfate veins used to be everywhere, but they more or less disappeared as we climbed higher up Mount Sharp,' Fraeman said. 'The team is excited to figure out why they've returned now.'
Fox News
27-06-2025
- Science
- Fox News
NASA's Curiosity rover discovers unusual 'boxwork' patterns on Mars linked to ancient waterways
NASA's Curiosity rover is getting a firsthand look at a region on Mars previously only seen from orbit that features a "boxwork" pattern, along with evidence of ancient waterways, including rivers, lakes and maybe an ocean. New images and data from the Mars rover have already raised questions about how the red planet's surface was changing billions of years ago. Scientists are still unable, though, to answer why the planet's water eventually dried up and converted the surface into a chilly desert. Curiosity rover is in an area called Gale Crater, and evidence has shown that when it was formed, water was percolating under the surface. NASA said the rover had found evidence of groundwater in the crater when it encountered crisscrossing low ridges, some of which were only a few inches tall and were described by geologists as being arranged in a boxwork pattern. Beneath the ridges is bedrock scientists believe formed when groundwater trickled through the rock and left behind minerals that accumulated in the cracks and fissures. The minerals then hardened and became cement-like. The formations were worn away after what NASA called "eons of sandblasting" from Martian wind, though the minerals remained and revealed a network of resistant ridges within. Rover has already analyzed ridges that scientists say look more like a crumbling curb. But the patterns created over time stretch across miles of a layer on the 3-mile-tall Mount Sharp. The rover has been climbing the foothills of Mount Sharp since 2014, NASA said. What scientists also find interesting about the boxwork patterns is they have not been found anywhere else on the mountain by orbiters overhead or Curiosity. "A big mystery is why the ridges were hardened into these big patterns and why only here," said Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "As we drive on, we'll be studying the ridges and mineral cements to make sure our idea of how they formed is on target." NASA said the patterns are found in a part of Mount Sharp formed during various eras of the ancient Martian climate. So, as the rover ascends from the oldest layers to the youngest, it is essentially time traveling and searching for signs that water existed on Mars and which environments would have supported microbial life in the planet's ancient times. "The rover is currently exploring a layer with an abundance of salty minerals called magnesium sulfates, which form as water dries up," NASA said. "Their presence here suggests this layer emerged as the climate became drier. "Remarkably, the boxwork patterns show that even in the midst of this drying, water was still present underground, creating changes seen today." Recent clues exposed on Mars may provide additional insight for scientists into why the boxwork patterns formed where they did. The bedrock between the ridges has a lot of tiny fractures filled with white veins of calcium sulfate, which is a salty mineral left behind when groundwater trickles through cracks in rocks, NASA said. In the lower layers of the mountain, similar veins were plentiful, and one was even enriched with clays. But, until now, none of the veins had been spotted in the sulfate. "That's really surprising," said Curiosity Deputy Project Scientist Abigail Fraeman of JPL. "These calcium sulfate veins used to be everywhere, but they more or less disappeared as we climbed higher up Mount Sharp. The team is excited to figure out why they've returned now." The Curiosity rover was launched Nov. 26, 2011, and landed on Mars Aug. 5, 2012. Its mission was to find out whether Mars ever had the right environmental conditions to support life, and, early on, the rover discovered chemical and mineral evidence of habitable environments from the past.
