19/05/2022
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Mars rover Curiosity sent a photo of an unusual "flower"
Miscellaneous / / March 01, 2022
Next to it is a space "dumpling".
NASA researchers have published a new image taken by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater on Mars. Structures in the photo educated minerals that probably once settled at the bottom of the reservoir.
One of the objects resembles a flower or a figured leaf of a plant. The second, at the top right, looks like a dumpling - round, with a thin rim.
Information about such formations is collected by the chemical laboratory for the analysis of samples on Mars (SAM), installed directly on board Curiosity. A scientist working with these data noted:
We're finding enticingly interesting things on Mars, but we really need more evidence to claim we've identified life.
Paul Mahaffy
Senior researcher of the chemical laboratory for sample analysis on Mars, Space Flight Center. Goddard, New York, Greenbelt, USA
Mars, unlike Earth, does not have a magnetic field that could protect the planet from high-energy particles flying through space. The radiation generated by such particles can harm human health and undermine the life support systems that are planned to be created on the planet.
The scientists are now analyzing data from the Radiation Evaluation Detector and other instruments on the Curiosity rover. They note that the use of natural materials, such as rocks and sediments, can provide some protection from cosmic radiation. Interesting photos are an additional bonus of the work.
Mahaffy's colleague who participated in the study added:
We need to open our minds and think outside the box. The hardest part is letting go of the Earth, getting rid of the prejudices we have, and really trying to get into the basic chemistry, physics, and ecological processes on Mars.
Jennifer Eigenbroad
Astrobiologist, Center for Space Flights. Goddard, Greenbelt, USA
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Ksenia Shestakova
For 10 years in IT, I tried a lot: I worked as a system administrator and tester, I wrote in a dozen different languages programming, led the computer department of the editorial office of a printed newspaper and led news feeds high-tech portals. I can patch KDE2 for FreeBSD - and tell you in detail about all the nuances of this process. I dream about homemade R2-D2 and space flight.
Cover: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill/Flickr
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