NASA discovers pristine sulphur crystals on Mars.

 

22/7/2024,

Pure sulphur crystals on Mars have been discovered for the first time, thanks to NASA's Curiosity Mars rover.

 

On June 7th, the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) recorded this discovery.

 

A few days earlier, on May 30, someone was curious enough to drive over and smash the rock, which is how these crystals were found.

 

The remarkable finding by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is that the first pure sulphur crystals have been found on Mars.

 

On June 7, which is the 4,208th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) recorded this discovery. The group of pieces, which are named "Convict Lake" after a place in the Sierra Nevada of California, are about 5 inches (13 centimetres) across from left to right.

"Several days earlier, on May 30, Curiosity occurred to drive over and shatter the rock, leading to the discovery of these crystals. NASA wrote in a blog post that the rover later utilised the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, an instrument on the end of its robotic arm, to ascertain the nature of the rock.

Finding elemental sulphur in its pure form is rare, even though sulphur compounds are not new to Mars and the area where this discovery was made is recognised for having a high sulphate content. According to NASA, "sulphates are a type of sulfur-based salt that was left behind as water dried up on this part of the Red Planet billions of years ago. Scientists have seen many kinds of sulphur on Mars; the region Curiosity found this rock is, in fact, known for being rich in sulphates."

 

3D representation of the Curiosity Rover on Mars

On Earth, a variety of geological processes, such as hydrothermal and volcanic activity, result in the formation of elemental sulphur.

 

 

The experts are constantly searching the surrounding rocks and the surrounding environment for new information, but they are unable to determine the origin of these flawless sulphur crystals.

 

For those who don't know, Curiosity was constructed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which is run by Caltech. On behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, JPL is in charge of the project. Mastcam is developed and run by San Diego-based Malin Space Science Systems.