This image shows the first sample of powdered rock extracted by the rover’s drill.
New images from the surface of Mars confirm that NASA’s Curiosity rover successfully extracted the first samples collected by drilling inside a rock on another planet and transferred the powder to the robots processing scoop. Collecting the first particles from the interior of a rock on another planet is crucial for achieving Curiosity’s goal to determine whether Mars could have supported microbial life in the past or in the present. The next step is to deliver the portions of the gray powder into the analytical chemistry labs inside the rover, for a deeper analysis of the mineral content and to look for signs of organic molecules that are the building blocks of life. Also, for the first time scientists are going to examine ancients rocks that haven’t been exposed to the Martian surface environment and weather. For that reason, the rocks preserve the environment in which they formed. This is really important because subsequent oxidation reactions can destroy organic molecules and therefore potential signs of life.
Sources: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-067#1)
Chemistry Group: Melina Borghi and Melissa Cruz
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