Glen Torridon tagged posts

NASA Curiosity rover finds mysterious life linked molecules on Mars

The six-wheeled Curiosity rover is positioned in the right side of the frame on a rugged, rock-strewn, brownish-red Martian plain. The rover’s articulated robotic arm and camera mast are raised. Distant hills and a hazy, dusty orange-brown sky are in the background.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie on Oct. 25, 2020, after drilling a rock sample from a spot nicknamed “Mary Anning.” After years of extensive analysis, the sample has revealed the greatest diversity of organic molecules ever found on Mars.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity rover has identified a wide range of organic molecules on Mars, including compounds that scientists consider key ingredients for the origin of life on Earth.

The discovery comes from a chemical experiment carried out on another planet for the first time. Results show that the Martian surface is capable of preserving molecules that could act as potential signs of ancient life...

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Curiosity Mars rover snaps its Highest-resolution Panorama yet

Curiosity’s 1.8-Billion-Pixel Panorama

NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured its highest-resolution panorama yet of the Martian surface. Composed of more than 1,000 images taken during the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday and carefully assembled over the ensuing months, the composite contains 1.8 billion pixels of Martian landscape. The rover’s Mast Camera, or Mastcam, used its telephoto lens to produce the panorama; meanwhile, it relied on its medium-angle lens to produce a lower-resolution, nearly 650-million-pixel panorama that includes the rover’s deck and robotic arm.

Both panoramas showcase “Glen Torridon,” a region on the side of Mount Sharp that Curiosity is exploring. They were taken between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, when the mission team was out for the Thanksgiving holiday...

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