Discovery of Distinct Rock Types Excites Curiosity Science Team on Mars; Wheel Issue Halts Operations for Now
On this sol-planning day, the Curiosity science team made a significant discovery while exploring ‘Pinnacle Ridge’, a part of the upper Gediz Vallis Ridge. In our workspace, we noticed two distinct types of rocks: light-toned layered rocks and darker toned rocks. The presence of such different rocks excites geologists as it suggests they may have been formed in different environments and could have different compositions.
Our team is eager to use our full suite of instruments to unravel the mystery of how these two types of rocks ended up next to each other. Unfortunately, we encountered a setback when one of Curiosity’s wheels was not on firm ground, preventing us from safely operating the arm. Despite this obstacle, we were so enthralled by the rocks that we decided to move the rover backwards by 15 cm to readjust the wheels in the hopes of being able to perform full contact science on Wednesday.
This discovery presents an exciting challenge for our team as we continue to explore the fascinating terrain of Mars. We are eager to learn more about these two distinct types of rocks and how they came to be next to each other on this remote planet.
