“One thing unusual got here out”… Curiosity discovers pure sulfur for the primary time on Hwaseong [아하! 우주]

[서울신문 나우뉴스]

Yellow crystals of pure sulfur discovered by Curiosity whereas exploring Mars. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity, a Mars exploration robotic unlocking ‘data’ on the distant pink planet, unintentionally found a uncommon ‘treasure’ whereas exploring it. On the 18th (native time), NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory introduced that Curiosity had found pure sulfur in elemental type for the primary time in historical past.

The yellow sulfur was found on Could 30, whereas Curiosity was exploring an historical canyon space known as ‘Gediz Vallis’. Throughout this course of, Curiosity broke a small rock on the bottom with its wheels whereas driving, and surprisingly, a brilliant yellow crystal appeared.

A panoramic view of Gediz Balis taken by Curiosity on March 31. This space appears to have been fashioned a very long time in the past when a variety of water and particles accrued. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Till now, sulfur has been generally discovered on Mars by compounds reminiscent of sulfate. Sulfate, which comprises sulfur, is a kind of salt that was created when water evaporates. Primarily based on this, specialists imagine that water flowed on Mars in historical instances. Nevertheless, the sulfur discovered by Curiosity this time is yellow in its pure type and has no odor.

“Discovering a rocky space made from pure sulfur is like discovering an oasis within the desert,” Ashwin Basavada, a researcher accountable for Curiosity at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory defined. He stated, “Discovering unusual and sudden issues like this makes planetary exploration much more thrilling.

Selfie photograph taken by Curiosity. NASA

In the meantime, the Curiosity exploration rover, which is in regards to the dimension of a small automotive, landed close to Gale Crater, which is 154 km vast, on August 5, 2012, to reply the query of whether or not there’s life on Mars. Inside Gale Crater, ‘Mount Sharp’, which is about 5,500 meters excessive, stands tall, and Curiosity continues the analysis by climbing right here. Over a interval of greater than 10 years, Curiosity analyzed the geology and soil of Mars, obtained knowledge on natural matter reminiscent of methane, and investigated whether or not circumstances have been appropriate for micro-organisms to outlive. Particularly, Curiosity has made an amazing achievement by discovering traces of water flowing on Mars way back, in addition to proof of methane fuel and nitrate that are important for all times. Reporter Park Jong-ik

▶ Enjoyable world[나우뉴스]

▶ [페이스북]