Daily Archives: July 21, 2024

Great floods once poured down a towering Martian mountain.

And NASA's dust-covered Curiosity rover has proof.

The car-sized NASA robot has spent much of 2024 exploring the Gediz Vallis channel, a dried-up waterway that travels down the three-mile-high Mount Sharp. Although Mars today is 1,000 times drier than the driest desert on Earth, the rover has spotted clues that long ago the Red Planet experienced momentous floods. It was a wet world.

"This was not a quiet period on Mars," Becky Williams, a scientist at the Planetary Science Institute who researches Mars using the rover's Mast Camera, said in a statement. "There was an exciting amount of activity here. Were looking at multiple flows down the channel, including energetic floods and boulder-rich flows."

The images below show what Curiosity has recently found.

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Below is a wide-view photo of a section of Gediz Vallis as it winds down Mount Sharp. You can see prominent buildups of rocks and boulders, such as those in the foreground on left. "This area was likely formed by large floods of water and debris that piled jumbles of rocks into mounds within the channel," NASA explained. Impressively, this debris pile-up extends some two miles down the mountain (though some of this was likely caused by landslides, too).

Mars' Gediz Vallis channel with large buildups of rocky debris. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Curiosity also closely examined these water-tumbled rocks. A number of them contain telltale "halo" markings, as seen in the image below. "Finally, water soaked into all the material that settled here," the space agency explained. "Chemical reactions caused by the water bleached white 'halo' shapes into some of the rocks."

At center, a Martian rock displaying a clear "halo" created by ancient interactions with water. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Unlike Earth, Mars no longer harbors an insulating atmosphere. The Red Planet's hot metallic core deep below its surface cooled long ago, and without a heated interior to generate a protective magnetic field, the once water-rich world was exposed to a relentless flow of particles from the sun, called the solar wind. The solar wind progressively stripped Mars of its thick atmosphere, leaving it the frigid, callous, irradiated desert we see today.

The Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in 2012, continues to scour Mars to determine if the planet could have ever harbored habitable conditions for microbial life. Meanwhile, NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed in 2020, is equipped with instruments that sleuth for hints of past life called "biosignatures" elements, substances, or features providing evidence of ancient organisms. This could mean telltale chains of molecules or structures that were almost certainly produced by single-celled Martians.

Although it's clear that Mars once hosted bounties of water, robotic Martian explorers have spotted no evidence, so far, that this rocky world ever hosted life.

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NASA rover finds place where 'exciting' events occurred on Mars - Mashable

Southeast Asia is hoteven barring its record-breaking extreme heatwaves this year.

Average temperatures in cities like Manila and Bangkok routinely break 100 degrees Fahrenheit and over 75% humidity in the middle of summer.

So what do you do when your key product is something that melts? Its a problem Mars Wrigley, the producer of snacks like Mars and Snickers chocolate bars, has to deal with.

Mars needs to make sure the experience of Snickers is the same, even if youre in a Tesco [a U.K. supermarket chain], or a mom-and-pop store in Vietnam, says Kalpesh Parmar, the general manager for Mars Wrigley Asia. He says the company is working with retailers, providing chillers to keep chocolates fresh. And theres technological solutions too, with Mars working towards developing heat-resistant chocolate. (Mars patented a process that replaces cocoa butter, which normally has a melting point of 37 degrees Celsius, with a sugar replacer with a higher melting point)

The treats and snacks category in Asia (excluding China, Japan, and India) is worth about $32 billion and continues to grow, Parmar estimates. The region is key to Marss goal of doubling the annual revenue of its snacking division to $36 billion in the next decade.

Mars is targeting the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia as growth markets. Future Market Insights, a market research firm, predicts Indonesias chocolate confectionery market will have a compound annual growth rate of 7.2% through 2034, thanks to continued urbanization and exposure to Western lifestyles.

Mars needs to be fast to win over consumers. Shoppers in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam want content every minute, every hour, on live-shopping and e-commerce platforms, Parmar saysand they dont care if the content is well-produced.

Yet Mars isnt ignoring more traditional retail channels. Consumers are also shopping more at small businesses, which tend to be closer to residential areas than larger supermarkets.

That was a surprise to Mars, which expected that stalls would slowly disappear. Instead, mom-and-pop stores carved a niche for themselves by partnering with e-commerce companies, offering fulfilment services and working with food delivery startups like Grab and Foodpanda.

Theres a lot of opportunity for growth. Chocolate consumption in Southeast Asia is still relatively low, with many consumers seeing them as an infrequent treat. Parmar thinks the way to get the region to eat more chocolate is to sell them smaller portionsor as he terms them, smaller packs of happiness.

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Mars wants to sell more chocolate in Southeast Asiaand that means dealing with extreme heat and consumers who 'want content every minute' - Fortune

NASA's Curiosity rover, which has been exploring Mars since 2012, has made significant discoveries regarding the planet's past. Recently, the rover uncovered compelling evidence of ancient floods that once surged down the slopes of Mount Sharp, providing new insights into Mars' dynamic history.

Curiosity has spent much of 2024 exploring the Gediz Vallis channel, a dried-up waterway that travels down the three-mile-high Mount Sharp. The rover's findings indicate that this area experienced massive floods, which transported and deposited large quantities of rocks and boulders.

Becky Williams, a scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, noted, "This was not a quiet period on Mars. There was an exciting amount of activity here. Were looking at multiple flows down the channel, including energetic floods and boulder-rich flows."

The Gediz Vallis channel, with its prominent rock formations and boulder deposits, suggests a history of significant water flow and debris movement. NASA explained that the area was likely formed by large floods of water and debris that created mounds within the channel. These features extend about two miles down the mountain, some of which were likely caused by landslides.

Curiosity closely examined rocks within the channel that displayed telltale "halo" markings. These markings are indicative of chemical reactions caused by ancient water interactions.

NASA explained, "Finally, water soaked into all the material that settled here. Chemical reactions caused by the water bleached white 'halo' shapes into some of the rocks." These halos provide crucial evidence of past water activity, supporting the theory that Mars once had a much wetter climate.

The discovery of these water-tumbled rocks with halo markings helps scientists understand the extent of water activity on Mars. It also provides clues about the chemical processes that occurred as water interacted with the Martian surface, altering the composition and appearance of rocks over time.

On March 31, 2024, Curiosity used its left Mast Camera to capture a 180-degree view of the Gediz Vallis channel. This panorama, composed of 176 individual images, shows the rich geological diversity of the region. The image includes features like the "Fascination Turret" and "Hinman Col," mounds that illustrate the dynamic processes that shaped the channel. The region is also rich in sulfates, salty minerals that provide further evidence of Mars' watery past.

The detailed panorama reveals the intricate and rugged terrain of the Gediz Vallis channel. The lighting conditions have been adjusted to reflect how the human eye would see them on Earth, making the features more discernible. This visual data aids researchers in piecing together the environmental history of Mars, particularly the role of water in shaping its landscape.

The findings in Gediz Vallis are significant because they add to the growing body of evidence that Mars once had conditions capable of supporting liquid water. Today, Mars is an arid, frigid desert, with an atmosphere too thin to support liquid water on its surface. However, the discovery of these ancient flood channels suggests that Mars was once a much wetter world.

Understanding Mars' climatic history is crucial for determining its potential to have supported life. While Curiosity focuses on assessing past habitability, its findings also complement the work of NASA's Perseverance rover, which seeks biosignatures or signs of past life. Although no definitive evidence of life has been found on Mars so far, the presence of ancient water channels and the chemical alterations in rocks provide promising clues.

NASA's Curiosity rover continues to uncover fascinating details about Mars' past, with recent discoveries in the Gediz Vallis channel highlighting the planet's dynamic and watery history. These findings help scientists piece together the environmental conditions that once prevailed on Mars, offering insights into its potential to have supported life.

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NASAs Curiosity Rover Discovers Evidence of Ancient Floods on Mars - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

NASA scientists say pure sulfur has been found on Mars for the first time after the Curiosity rover inadvertently uncovered a cluster of yellow crystals when it drove over a rock. And it looks like the area is filled with it. Its an unexpected discovery while minerals containing sulfur have been observed on the Red Planet, elemental sulfur on its own has never been seen there before. It forms in only a narrow range of conditions that scientists havent associated with the history of this location, according to NASA.

Curiosity cracked open the rock on May 30 while driving in a region known as the Gediz Vallis channel, where similar rocks were seen all around. The channel is thought to have been carved by water and debris flows long ago. Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert, said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiositys project scientist. It shouldnt be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting.

After spotting the yellow crystals, the team later used a camera on Curiositys robotic arm to take a closer look. The rover then took a sample from a different rock nearby, as the pieces of the rock it had smashed were too brittle for drilling. Curiosity is equipped with instruments that allow it to analyze the composition of rocks and soil, and NASA says its Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) confirmed it had found elemental sulfur.

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NASAs Curiosity rover accidentally uncovered pure sulfur crystals on Mars - Engadget

Spending over a year physically isolated from everyone but three crewmates may not be most peoples idea of a fun getaway, but Anca Selariu wouldnt hesitate to do it again.

Absolutely, Selariu tells Popular Science.

The US Navy microbiologist specializing in viral vaccine discovery and infectious disease research exited Mars Dune Alpha, NASAs 3D-printed habitat located at the Johnson Space Center on July 6 after spending 378 days living and working inside the 1,700-square-foot structure with three teammates. Selariu served as the first science officer during the agencys inaugural Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA-1) mission intended to simulate what it may be like to maintain humanitys very first permanent base on Mars.

While there, Selariu and her three colleagues oversaw a broad range of responsibilities including crop management, geological sampling and analysis, robotics work featuring drones and rovers, as well as the many other maintenance tasks required for simulated Martian living. There were even mock excursions in modified spacesuits using an artificial Red Planet set room. Unsurprisingly, Selarius team amassed mountains of information after more than a year of experiments, troubleshooting, and adaptation.

The amount of data coming out of the CHAPEA study itself is going to be amazing. Its a highly integrated and preloaded [set] of experiments where lots of groups contributed, Selariu says, adding that, It was absolutely fascinating to see how many thoughts, components, pieces of the puzzle you need to put together to start filling the gaps that we need to cover. Ironically, however, conveying all those results and experiences in real-time proved more difficult than anything else.

The most challenging aspect, although it doesnt sound like it, was the communication delay, she explains.

Even with data traveling at the speed of light, any future chatter between Earth and Mars will take a frosting amount of time given the average distance of 140 million miles between the two planets. Every message will involve a 22-minute journey each way, meaning that even the most basic back-and-forths will turn into almost-hour-long processes. So, for the purposes of CHAPEA-1, every message sent between NASA and Mars Dune Alpha inhabitants was artificially delayed by the same amount of time.

[It] requires a completely different mindset for how you formulate the communications, how you deliver it, the correct timing, Selariu recalls. Its so interesting because this is a unique type of challenge for modern humans. Most humans nowadays do not know what its like to live like that. They dont know what its like to live offline.

Selariu explains that unlike an unplugged, week-long getaway in the woods, the extended isolation and conversational delay made for an entirely different psychological experience.

In reality, its a lot more complex, especially for something of such long duration. There are so many things that you need to prepare for, so many things that you dont think about until you actually experience them firsthand, she says. For me, it was one of the most rewarding things to live, myself.

That isnt to say it was all frustrations and impatient foot-tapping. Before moving into CHAPEA, the crew made sure to upload a massive library of books and prerecorded media to enjoy during their off-hours. Selariu particularly loved the marathon movie and TV sessions, as well as game tournaments.

NASAs current timeline likely wont see any humans landing on Mars until the 2040s. But if astronauts do actually eventually arrive at that historic moment, it will be in no small part thanks to the experimental work of researchers like Selariu.

Just being a part of human space exploration, especially in the effort of getting humans to Mars, is an incredible honor to me. Its just amazing to be able to wake up every day knowing that youre contributing to humanitys dream, she says. And although she only simulated the Mars experience, the yearlong trip put the enormity of our own home planet and its delicate balance into perspective.

[Related: How to apply for NASAs next Mars habitat simulation.]

The opportunity of being away from Earth is very enlightening. It makes you realize how precious everything is. The fact that so many things can happen on Earth that cannot happen elsewhere is just incredible, says Selariu, noting the planets biodiversity, natural complexities, and even the simple existence of water.

All of these things make you think about how extraordinary it is to be a human witnessing this, she adds.

With CHAPEA-1 officially in the books, NASA is already looking for volunteers to participate in its next extended simulation mission. For anyone interested, Selariu encourages them to keep on dreaming. There are plenty of issues to still examine and problems to solve before lifting off for Mars, after all. But if on the off-chance NASA bumps up its travel plans, theres at least one person with not only the most comparable experience, but the willingness to put their practice into action.

I would definitely not say no, Selariu says. Every time I see Mars in a picture I get a little misty-eyed, to be honest with you.

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What it was like to spend a year in NASAs Mars base simulation - Popular Science

Editors note: This article, distributed by The Associated Press, was originally published on The Conversation website. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

When I was in middle school, my biology teacher showed our class the sci-fi movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

The plot drew me in, with its depiction of the Genesis Project a new technology that transformed a dead alien world into one brimming with life.

After watching the movie, my teacher asked us to write an essay about such technology. Was it realistic? Was it ethical? And to channel our inner Spock: Was it logical? This assignment had a huge impact on me.

Fast-forward to today, and Im an engineer and professor developing technologies to extend the human presence beyond Earth.

For example: Im working on advanced propulsion systems to take spacecraft beyond Earths orbit. Im helping to develop lunar construction technologies to support NASAs goal of long-term human presence on the Moon. And Ive been on a team that showed how to 3D-print habitats on Mars.

To sustain people beyond Earth will take a lot of time, energy and imagination. But engineers and scientists have started to chip away at the many challenges.

After the Moon, the next logical place for humans to live beyond Earth is Mars.

But is it possible to terraform Mars that is, transform it to resemble the Earth and support life? Or is that just the musings of science fiction?

To live on Mars, humans will need liquid water, food, shelter and an atmosphere with enough oxygen to breathe and thick enough to retain heat and protect against radiation from the Sun.

But the Martian atmosphere is almost all carbon dioxide, with virtually no oxygen. And its very thin only about 1% as dense as the Earths.

The less dense an atmosphere, the less heat it can hold on to. Earths atmosphere is thick enough to retain enough heat to sustain life by whats known as the greenhouse effect.

But on Mars, the atmosphere is so slight that the nighttime temperature drops routinely to 150 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (-101 degrees Celsius).

So whats the best way to give Mars an atmosphere?

Although Mars has no active volcanoes now at least as far as we know scientists could trigger volcanic eruptions via nuclear explosions. The gases trapped deep in a volcano would be released and then drift into the atmosphere. But that scheme is a bit harebrained, because the explosions would also introduce deadly radioactive material into the air.

A better idea: Redirecting water-rich comets and asteroids to crash into Mars. That too would release gases from below the planets surface into the atmosphere while also releasing the water found in the comets. NASA has already demonstrated that it is possible to redirect asteroids but relatively large ones, and lots of them, are needed to make a difference.

There are numerous ways to heat up the planet. For instance, gigantic mirrors, built in space and placed in orbit around Mars, could reflect sunlight to the surface and warm it up.

One recent study proposed that Mars colonists could spread aerogel, an ultralight solid material, on the ground. The aerogel would act as insulation and trap heat. This could be done all over Mars, including the polar ice caps, where the aerogel could melt the existing ice to make liquid water.

To grow food, you need soil. On Earth, soil is composed of five ingredients: minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gases and water.

But Mars is covered in a blanket of loose, dust like material called regolith. Think of it as Martian sand. The regolith contains few nutrients, not enough for healthy plant growth, and it hosts some nasty chemicals called perchlorates, used on Earth in fireworks and explosives.

Cleaning up the regolith and turning it into something viable wouldnt be easy. What the alien soil needs is some Martian fertilizer, maybe made by adding extremophiles to it hardy microbes imported from Earth that can survive even the harshest conditions. Genetically engineered organisms are also a possibility.

Through photosynthesis, these organisms would begin converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. Eventually, as Mars became more life-friendly to Earthlike organisms, colonists could introduce more complex plants and even animals.

Providing oxygen, water and food in the right proportions is extraordinarily complex. On Earth, scientists have tried to simulate this in Biosphere 2, a closed-off ecosystem featuring ocean, tropical and desert habitats. Although all of Biosphere 2s environments are controlled, even their scientists struggle to get the balance right. Mother Nature really knows what she is doing.

Buildings could be 3D-printed; initially, they would need to be pressurized and protected until Mars acquired Earthlike temperatures and air. NASAs Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technologies program is researching how to do exactly this.

There are many more challenges. For example, unlike Earth, Mars has no magnetosphere, which protects a planet from solar wind and cosmic radiation. Without a magnetic field, too much radiation gets through for living things to stay healthy. There are ways to create a magnetic field, but so far the science is highly speculative.

In fact, all of the technologies Ive described are far beyond current capabilities at the scale needed to terraform Mars. Developing them would take enormous amounts of research and money, probably much more than possible in the near term. Although the Genesis device from Star Trek III could terraform a planet in a matter of minutes, terraforming Mars would take centuries or even millennia.

And there are a lot of ethical questions to resolve before people get started on turning Mars into another Earth. Is it right to make such drastic permanent changes to another planet?

If this all leaves you disappointed, dont be. As scientists create innovations to terraform Mars, well also use them to make life better on Earth. Remember the technology were developing to print 3D habitats on Mars? Right now, Im part of a group of scientists and engineers employing that very same technology to print homes here on Earth which will help address the worlds housing shortage.

Sven Biln is a professor of engineering design, electrical engineering and aerospace engineering at Penn State.

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Engineers developing environmental and construction technologies for life on Mars - Finance and Commerce

On Monday, July 15, the courageous warlord, planet Mars, and Uranus, the planet of mayhem, are forming an exact conjunction in Taurus, the sign of the decadent dictator.

This powerful union is one of the most significant of 2024, bringing the potential for discovery and destruction. The last time the forces of awakening and action were this close was in August 2022.

This transit, which can be felt for a week before and after the culmination of the conjunction, both stimulates and irritates.

If youve been wondering why you feel resentment and unrest, suddenly hate your partner or your parents, and cant seem to shake the sound of Queens I Want To Break Free, then baby, you aint alone.

These two planetary power players instigate one another, and for us mortals, the results are weird, sudden, overwhelming, and confounding. Existing tensions are amplified they find release in shocking ways.

Mars and Uranus conjunctions encourage independence at all costs and even radical measures or means of expression in service of that independence. This doesnt mean relationships have to end, but it does suggest they will change. This also applies to our ties with Taurean themes such as security, stability, and finances.

Healthy independence is born from the knowledge that we can sustain ourselves, and bonds are strengthened by a search for connection rather than codependence. In this sense, this transit can pull us towards both autonomy and true intimacy.

We are urged to take action, but our best defense is to take it easy. Dont let a false sense of urgency or frenzy push you to feel like its now or never.

Because this conjunction is going down in a fixed sign, those with significant placements in the later degrees of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius will feel the effects most acutely.

To better understand how this shakeup will play out in your life, look to the area of your birth chart ruled by Taurus.

If it sounds like a lot, it is, but blessedly, the pressure will be set back from a rolling boil to a low simmer when Mars moves into Gemini and away from Uranus on July 20.

When Mars moves from the fixed, earthly, and obstinate bull ring of Taurus into the intellectual, flexible climes of Gemini, it can feel very much like a breath of fresh air.

Gemini encourages an open mind as much as an open mouth. What messages and mantras are we absorbing and projecting? This transit asks us to reflect on how our thought patterns both form and restrict us and how our words can function as salt or honey to the worlds wounds.

Emotions will reach a fever pitch in or around the full moon in Capricorn on July 21, but things should buff out and level off for a bit as the mighty moon wanes back to black. On July 23rd, we step into the center stage, masturbate in the mirror, make art not war energy of Leo, further aiding and abetting a general feeling of relief.

Hang in there, folks.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the star

AstrologerReda Wigleresearches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience.

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Chaos reigns right now but hang in there, hope is on the way whats next in the stars, according to an astrologer - New York Post

For nearly 10 years, NASAs four-wheeled robot has been climbing the foothills of Mount Sharp, a tall mountain on Mars that stands above an ancient crater, uncovering mysteries with each of its layers. In its latest discovery, the Martian explorer stumbled upon a field of rocks made of pure sulfur, a chemical element that could hold precious clues to the Red Planets watery past.

The Curiosity rover recently drove over a rock, accidentally cracking it open. Inside were shiny yellow crystals, which scientists later determined to be elemental sulfur, NASA said. Although sulfur-based minerals (a mix of sulfur with other materials) have been found on Mars before, this is the first discovery of rocks made of pure sulfur. And there could be a whole bunch of them on Mars, but scientists arent sure how they formed.

Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert, Ashwin Vasavada, Curiositys project scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. It shouldnt be there, so now we have to explain it.

Pure sulfur is tasteless and odorless, and its naturally found in volcanic regions as a result of the oxidation of hydrogen-sulfide. But this particular region that Curiosity has been exploring has shown no signs of past volcanic activity. Pure sulfur can also form through the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds by way of microbial activity. In that case, the discovery of sulfur on Mars could be useful in the search for ancient microbial life on the Red Planet.

The Curiosity rover has been exploring Gediz Vallis, a winding channel that may have been carved out by an ancient river that left a 2-mile trail of boulders and sediment. By exploring this region, the rover is gathering clues for places in the planets ancient terrain that could have provided the nutrients needed for microbial life to possibly form on Mars.

Curiosity could not snatch a sample of the sulfur rocks because they were too small and brittle, but it did find a large rock nearby that the team nicknamed Mammoth Lakes. The rover used a drill attached at the end of its 7-foot (2-meter) robotic arm to make a hole in the rock and grabbed samples that can be analyzed by on-board instruments inside the rovers belly.

Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting, Vasavada said.

More: Things You Didnt Know About NASAs Mars Rovers

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NASAs Curiosity Rover Uncovers Trove of Yellow Crystals on Mars - Gizmodo

If life exists on alien worlds, scientists expect that the worlds in question would have certain basic properties. There would be carbon, an element essential to the creation of organic molecules. The world will include enough water for the life to flourish, and the environment will stay within an acceptable range of temperatures (-15 C to 115 C). Even if those conditions do not currently exist on any known worlds, scientists hope life may have been present on certain planets in the past.

One such planet for which people harbor hope is Earth's red next-door neighbor, Mars. Yet according to a recent study in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, Mars does not quite meet the standards necessary to have supported life in its past at least, not like anything on Earth.

Upon examining materials discovered by NASA's Curiosity Rover in Mars' Gale Crater since 2011, the scientists compared those soils with analogous materials on Earth. The Gale Crater soil and rocks provide a record of Mars' climate from between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago, which is roughly the same time when life appeared on Earth. They also contain unique structures what one scientist described as "X-Ray amorphous materials like Jello," a "soup of different elements and chemicals that just slide past each other" which make it possible to establish what external conditions existed while they were formed.

Yet according to the researchers who used X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy to examine both the Gale Crater samples and samples fromthe Tablelands of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, Northern Californias Klamath Mountains, and western Nevada the geological records are not promising for past life.

Although the subarctic conditions of Newfoundland did yield materials chemically analogous to those in Gale Crater, this did not happen in the warmer climates like California and Nevada.This means that the unique structures could have only been formed when the temperatures on Mars were much colder than Earth-based life can endure.

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New study reveals the icy, cold climate of Mars' past, with implications for life - Salon

Mars, often called the Red Planet, continues to surprise and intrigue scientists and space enthusiasts alike with its diverse and enigmatic landscape.

From towering volcanoes to vast canyons and icy polar caps, Mars offers a geological wonderland that NASA's Perseverance rover is diligently exploring. One of the latest discoveries made by Perseverance has added a whimsical touch to our understanding of this alien world a rock formation that remarkably resembles a snowman.

On July 13, 2024, during Sol 1208 of its mission, NASAs Perseverance rover captured a fascinating image of a rock formation on Mars that closely resembles a snowman. The photograph, taken by the rover's Right Mastcam-Z camera, showcases a stack of rocks that bear a striking similarity to the iconic snowmen found on Earth.

This amusing and intriguing discovery was made while the rover was conducting its daily exploration activities within the Jezero Crater. The image of this snowman-like rock formation quickly garnered attention, highlighting the unexpected and often playful aspects of planetary exploration.

The image depicts three distinct rocks stacked in a manner that is reminiscent of a traditional snowman, complete with what appears to be a head, body, and base. This formation, while seemingly playful, offers valuable scientific insight into the erosive and depositional processes at work on Mars. The precise alignment and balance of the rocks suggest that natural forces have meticulously arranged them over an extended period, providing clues about the wind and weather patterns that have influenced their placement.

The rock formation, while whimsical in appearance, provides valuable insights into Mars's geological processes. Mars's atmosphere, although thin, can still support dynamic weather events such as dust storms and, technically, even snowfall under certain conditions. However, the possibility of building a traditional snowman on Mars remains slim due to the planet's current atmospheric conditions. Historically, Mars had a thicker atmosphere capable of sustaining liquid water on its surface, as indicated by findings from NASA's MAVEN mission. These historical conditions suggest that Mars once had a climate that could support more Earth-like weather patterns, including precipitation and potentially more substantial snow accumulations.

The snowman-like rock formation itself is a product of aeolian processes, where wind action shapes and erodes rocks into various forms. The stacked appearance of the rocks may result from natural cementation and subsequent erosion, which creates the illusion of a snowman. This discovery adds to the diverse range of geological features found on Mars, from sedimentary layers to volcanic rocks, each telling a story of the planet's dynamic history.

The discovery of such formations helps scientists understand the erosive forces on Mars. Wind erosion, in particular, plays a significant role in shaping the Martian surface. The snowman-like formation suggests that Mars experiences strong, consistent winds that can move and arrange rocks over time. Studying these formations allows researchers to infer the historical climate conditions on Mars, including the strength and direction of past winds.

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Perseverance Rover Reveals Snowman-Shaped Rocks on Mars - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel