Curiosity, perhaps, he found water-rich rocks and made a new self at the foot of Mount Sharp




When you click the image it will open in full size (NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS) i>

Mars rover Curiosity continues to work, and now it двигается on the southeast , leaving the region, which the rover explored for a few weeks. There were found rocks with an unusually high content of silica and hydrogen. Perhaps, experts say that such a high concentration of hydrogen is a sign of the presence of groundwater.

In this area (Marias Pass), the rover has successfully mobilized a drill sampling rocks from the rock «Buckskin» (deer skin). After the completion of the main works of the scientists involved the camera device, to produce a series of images of both the region and the rover. After combining the images can be seen Curiosity in good health.

The rover has completed work in the Marias Pass on August 12 and then proceeded to Mount Sharp, the foot of which was achieved in September 2014. In just a few days (12, 13, 14 and 18 August), the rover was 132 meters. The total distance traveled by Curiosity on Mars, was 11, 1 km.

Simultaneously Curiosity continues to analyze the selected samples of the breed. The analysis comes in a special compartment, internal "lab" device. Now the main task - to understand why the selected rocks is a high content of hydrogen - higher than in all the other places visited by the rover. Initially, the high content of hydrogen was detected using a tool Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN).

The region, which was discussed above, the hydrogen content higher than "normal" (average hydrogen content in the rocks of the regions that have been visited previously by the rover) by 3-4 times.

By the way, Curiosity «noted" the three-year anniversary of operation on Mars. NASA has released to mark the occasion, a video, which tells about the most interesting moments of the operation of the rover. A lot of interesting things. For example, Curiosity could measure radiation in the air and on the surface, the rover also found traces of the presence of water in Mars 'past (due to the fact of the presence of water in Mars' past is not questioned).



Source: geektimes.ru/post/260606/