Since 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring Gale crater to find clues about Mars ’past and possible evidence that once supported life. Over the past year, this research has focused on the lower levels of Mount Sharp, a transition zone between a clay-rich and a sulfate-rich region (a type of mineral salt). These regions may offer an insight into Mars ’warm, watery past, but the transition zone between them also has scientific value. In short, the study of this region can provide a record of the great climate change that took place billions of years ago on Mars.
For example, this region has unique geological features that include clay minerals that appear as flaky layers of sedimentary rock. One in particular, “The Prow,” was recently photographed by Curiosity and boiled the mission’s scientific equipment. These features formed when water was still flowing into Gale Crater, depositing sediment at the base of Mount Sharp. Higher up the mountain, the hill was probably covered in wind-swept dunes that hardened like rock over time. Among them is where the scaly layers were formed, possibly as a result of small ponds or streams that woven them between the dunes.
As the rover climbs further up Mount Sharp and through the transition zone, it is detecting fewer clay deposits and more sulfate-rich rock. Soon, the rover will drill its latest sample from this area and analyze it for more information on the changing mineral composition of these rocks. Analysis of this region is also expected to provide an insight into how groundwater receded and flourished over time, leaving behind a complex geological record indicating how the region experienced multiple “wet” periods before become the frozen and dedicated place it is today.
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Ashwin Vasavada, a scientist on the Curiosity project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained:
“We no longer see the lake deposits we saw for years below on Mount Sharp. Instead, we see a lot of evidence of drier climates, such as the dry dunes that occasionally had streams around them. That’s a big change. with respect to lakes that persisted for perhaps millions of years before. “
In other rover-related news, Curiosity has experienced some health scares that indicate the rover is showing signs of age. These include additional damage to their treads, as well as an apparent instrument problem that caused the rover to enter safe mode. On June 4, the engineering team took new photographs of the Curiosity wheels, which they have been doing every 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) to check their overall health. This has become especially important since the rover team detected the first breaks in its treads in 2017. Originally, the team performed wheel inspections every 500 meters (1,640 feet).
This was doubled after a traction control algorithm was introduced to curb wheel degradation, which was seen as a justification for fewer inspections. However, the latest images from the Curiosity wheels revealed that the middle left wheel had damaged one of its zig-zag features (grousers): four of the nineteen grousers on that wheel had already broken, making it the fifth. This has caused mission controllers to return to their original cadence and take pictures of the wheels every half mile (0.62 miles). Megan Lin, Curiosity’s project director at JPL, said:
“We have shown by ground tests that we can drive safely on the rims of the wheels if necessary. If we ever get to the point where a single wheel has broken most of its claws, we could take a controlled break to remove the parts that “Because of recent trends, it seems unlikely that we will have to take these steps. The wheels hold up well, providing the traction we need to continue our climb.”
Image taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) from the wheels of Curiosity on March 19, 2017. Credit: NASA
The other problem occurred on June 7 when Curiosity’s internal temperature sensors indicated that one of the instrument control boxes had overheated. This caused the rover to automatically enter safe mode and shut down everything but its most essential functions. Engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory mission returned the rover to normal operations two days later, but are still trying to determine the exact cause of the problem. They have suggested that this could have been the result of a faulty temperature reading and have since switched to safety temperature sensors.
These signs of wear and tear, wear and tear and possible malfunction are not holding back Curiosity’s tenth anniversary, which will take place on August 5th. With its mission extended indefinitely, it has no set schedule for its operations and will continue to explore until its radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) dies or suffers a catastrophic failure. Meanwhile, Curiosity continues to weld and climb Mount Sharp, gathering evidence from Mars ’past and looking for possible signs that once supported life (and maybe it still could!)
Additional readings: NASA
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