Assault on Mars.As the Mars rover A Mars rover is an unmanned rover used for exploration of the planet Mars. They are deployed because it has so far been too costly and difficult to achieve a manned mission to Mars, and because probes and satellites are too limited (due to their immobility or their distance from Spirit recently trudged up a rocky edifice known as Husband Hill, the vehicle's wheels churned up material that drew the immediate attention of scientists. The soil appeared unusually bright, and researchers directed Spirit to take a closer look. The rover's survey camera and three spectrometers, which study the composition of materials at wavelengths ranging from gamma rays Gamma rays Electromagnetic radiation emitted from excited atomic nuclei as an integral part of the process whereby the nucleus rearranges itself into a state of lower excitation (that is, energy content). to the near infrared, revealed that the bright soil patch is laden with a greater amount of chemical salts than any other sample examined on Mars. Salts typically suggest the presence of water. The patch's main ingredient appears to be iron sulfate sulfate, chemical compound containing the sulfate (SO4) radical. Sulfates are salts or esters of sulfuric acid, H2SO4, formed by replacing one or both of the hydrogens with a metal (e.g., sodium) or a radical (e.g., ammonium or ethyl). with water molecules bound inside, says Steve Squyres Steven W. Squyres (born 1957) is a professor of astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. His research area is in planetary sciences, with a focus on large solid bodies in the solar system such as the terrestrial planets and the moons of the Jovian planets. of Cornell University Cornell University, mainly at Ithaca, N.Y.; with land-grant, state, and private support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1868. It was named for Ezra Cornell, who donated $500,000 and a tract of land. With the help of state senator Andrew D. , principal scientist for the rover missions. The soil also contains an abundance of phosphorus, his team announced March 2. Researchers are still puzzling over the sample, but Squyres says its high salt content indicates that water has flowed abundantly through the region, leaving behind the salt when it evaporated. --R.C. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion