Seven months after NASA's rover Curiosity landed on Mars to
assess if the planet most like Earth had the ingredients for
life, scientists have their answer: Yes.
Analysis of a powder drilled from an ancient and once
water-soaked rock at the rover's Gale Crater landing site
show clays, sulfates and other minerals that are all key to
life, the scientists told a news conference at NASA's
headquarters on Tuesday.
The water that once flowed through the area, known as
Yellowknife Bay, was likely drinkable, said Curiosity's lead
scientist John Grotzinger, who is with the California
Institute of Technology.
The analysis stopped short of a confirmation of organics,
which are necessary for Earth-like life. But with 17 more
months left in the rover's primary mission, scientists said
they expect to hone in on that question.
The scientists, who spoke at the U.S. space agency's
headquarters in Washington, also talked on a conference call
with reporters based elsewhere.
While the $2.5 billion Curiosity mission is not a
life-detection exploration, it is intended to find places
where organics, if they exist, could have been preserved.
The rover touched down inside Gale Crater on August 6 to
begin the two-year mission.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.