Curiosity Archives - rustleeast

Ancient Mars was Cool and Relatively Wet, New Study Suggests

By News Staff July 11, 2024

In a new study, planetary scientists found strong similarities between soils found in Gale Crater on Mars and those of Canada’s Newfoundland, a cold subarctic climate. X-ray amorphous material comprises…

Manganese-Rich Sandstones Point to Earth-Like Environment on Ancient Mars

By News Staff May 2, 2024

In May 2017, NASA’s Curiosity rover observed higher than usual amounts of manganese in the lakebed rocks within Gale crater, Mars. These sedimentary rocks have larger grain sizes than what…

Ancient Mars was Planet of Rivers, Planetary Scientists Say

By News Staff October 25, 2023

Ancient river deposits exist across Mars and can be identified in satellite data by erosional landforms called fluvial ridges. Fluvial ridges take the shape of ancient river deposits, and are…

Early Mars Had a Sustained, Cyclic, Possibly Seasonal, Climate

By News Staff August 10, 2023

New observations of mud cracks made by NASA’s Curiosity rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling occurred in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the Red Planet may have once seen…

Curiosity Rover Images Sun Rays and Feather-Shaped Clouds on Mars

By News Staff March 6, 2023

‘Sun rays’ are also known as crepuscular rays, from the Latin word for twilight. It was the first time sun rays have been so clearly viewed on Mars. This feather-shaped…