NASA's Curiosity Explorer Will Leave Gediz Vallis, The Bottom Of The Drying River On Mars
JAKARTA The Curiosity rover has explored Gediz Vallis, a Martian area believed to be the base of the river, for the past year. Now, Curiosity will leave the location.
NASA explains that its rover robot is preparing for its next trip. Before leaving the mystery-packed location, Curiosity had collected rock images and features in a 360-degree panorama.
To maximize the preparation of the mosaics, Curiosity walked to the west bank of Gediz Vallis at the end of last September. The Curiosity instrument continued to move while capturing the panorama and staying away from the Gediz Vallis canal to the west on November 2.
"The rover is looking for evidence that ancient Mars has the right ingredients to support microbial life, if anything formed billions of years ago, when the Red Planet had lakes and rivers," NASA said on its official website.
The results of this 360-degree panorama are still being compiled by scientists. Later, NASA's panorama results will feature various features in the canal, including piles of debris named Pinnacle Ridge.
From the panorama immortalized by Curiosity, scientists managed to break elements of the rocks at the site. Thanks to the image of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the science instrument on the Mars ride, it was revealed that the rock was pure sulfur.
"The team does not have a clear explanation of why sulfur was formed there; on Earth, sulfur is associated with a volcano and heat source, and there is no evidence on Mount Sharp that points to any of these causes," NASA explained.
To find out more elements and signs that lead to biological discoveries on Mars, Curiosity will continue to explore the planet. Starting next year, this vehicle will study areas similar to Mount Sharp in other regions.