NASA’s Curiosity rover has made a surprising discovery on Mars. For the first time, it found yellow-green crystals made of sulfur. The discovery was unexpected as Curiosity stumbled upon the crystals accidentally.
The rover cracked open a rock while driving, revealing these rare stones. Since October 2023, Curiosity has been exploring a region on Mars known to have sulfates, which are salts formed when sulfur mixes with other minerals in water. However, finding pure sulfur is a first for scientists.
Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist, said, “It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting.”
Curiosity made this discovery while climbing Mount Sharp, a three-mile-tall mountain on Mars. The rover has been exploring this mountain since 2014. Each layer of Mount Sharp tells a different story of Martian history.
The mission of the Curiosity rover is to study ancient Martian terrain and find out if Mars could have supported microbial life in the past. The rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, and has since made many important discoveries, including taking the first selfie on Mars!
Curiosity can take pictures, collect samples, and study the Martian surface. It then sends the information back to scientists on Earth. This latest discovery adds to the exciting journey of exploring Mars and searching for signs of life.
