Curiosity to Begin Climb Up Mount Sharp --"Some Form of Life was Once Likely"

 

         

 

NASA rover Curiosity's second day on Mars went "flawlessly," NASA said, confirming the antennas, communication links and generator on the $2.5 billion robot are all working well.

"We feel very confident we have a lot of data capacity now, that we have all these links, and that was one of the major objectives of that first part of the mission," mission manager Jennifer Trosper told reporters at a press conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday. She added that a pair of cameras -- set like two large eyes on the newly extended remote sensing mast -- will be used Thursday to give scientists their first full-color panoramic 360-degree view around the rover. NASA released a low resolution black and white panoramic images Wednesday that shows a vast sediment-covered plain, with low mountains in the distance.

"The first impression you get is how earth-like this seems," commented John Grotzinger, a scientist for the mission. "All those materials are derived from the erosion of those mountains," he added, explaining that the sediments were brought down into the crater by water that once pooled there. These signs of water on Red Planet hint that some form of life was once likely -- even though Mars is now a dry place with a thin atmosphere, extreme winters and dust storms -- and they're Curiosity's reason for being.

The nuclear-powered Curiosity rover is designed to hunt for soil-based signatures of life on the Earth's nearest neighbor and send back data to prepare for a future human mission. It is the biggest robot ever built for planetary exploration -- weighing in at a ton, about the size of a small car -- and carries a complex chemistry kit to zap rocks, drill soil and test for radiation. Grotzinger noted that the images show the rover's harrowing and complex descent on Monday "did more than give us a great ride, it gave our science team an amazing freebie."

"The thrust from the rockets actually dug 0.5 meter (1.6 feet) trench in the surface," he said. "It appears we can see Martian bedrock on the bottom." Knowing how far the bedrock lies beneath the surface is "valuable data we can use going forward," he explained.

In other good news, Trosper said the indications are that Curiosity's electricity generator is making "more power that was expected." That's going to keep the rover operating longer, she explained, and added that the team was also able to resolve an anomaly that had been hindering the rover's weather-sensing equipment. She noted that the data shows temperatures around Curiosity are a little warmer than predicted, but they "are still looking at why."

She did not give any specific temperature readings, but NASA had initially predicted frigid temperatures at Curiosity's landing site of between -90 and zero degrees Celsius.

Next on deck, Curiosity will haul the Mars Science Laboratory as far as halfway up Mount Sharp, a towering three-mile (five-kilometer) Martian mountain with sediment layers that may be up to a billion years old. But it may be a full year before the remote-controlled rover gets to the base of the peak, which is believed to be within a dozen miles (20 kilometers) of the rover's landing site.

The Daily Galaxy via NASAand AFP

Comments

[Cleve Watson]

Some form of life was once "likely"? Why? Under what assumptions? I thought we were doing science here, not wishful thinking.

[Julian]

The oficial name is Aeolis Mons, not mount sharp. Editor's comment: Hey Julian, you better let NASA know.

[Tyler McGhee]

I am giddy with anticipation! Can't wait to see what the new rover discovers!

[Surface]

I'm just glad the thing landed safely. My mom says the excitement is similar to when man landed on the moon.

[42]

The entire planet watched the moon landing, the excitement hardly equates

[ihumanity]

Of course there was once life there. Science is where there is water there is life. Chances are there is still life there beneath the surface.

[ihumanity]

there lol but for real go curiosity

[ClaudeB]

If there is life out there on Mars (or anywhere else), they'd best hide from us!
If life hides from us, it's most likely to be intelligent!
Reasoning further; if we cannot find life, it must be there and be intelligent to boot!

I like logic!

[Steverino]

I hope they do find signs of life. And if they do, that will be the greatest day of all for many reasons. But mainly because then we can finally say "Ba bye christianity"...thanks for playing....we are NOT the center of the universe....now shut the hell up".

[John]

Hey ClaudeB....If thats what passes for logic these days then
we are surely doomed.

[ClaudeB]

Hey John,
I agree!

[smartypants]

Its funny but to me every picture that shows the rovers shadow kind of looks like a crab or giant insect is attacking it.

[Jason]

@steverino I hope you're not suggesting that sciece is able to prove/disprove Christianity. When it comes to the creator of the universe, He created mars and whatever is on it too.

[preston]

the oldest science on Earth states that Life is Everywhere. In water and in fire

[Deep Space]

Earth Is The True Planet Of War, Not Mars (Curiosity Rover)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj5ju9ag2ZI

[E.J. Wilson]

I would expect the temperature around the rover to be warmer than expected because of the 11 pounds of PU238 dioxide in the 125W radioisotope thermoelectric generator. In fact, the unit is designed for its waste heat to provide warmth for the rover systems. - ejw