Mars rover data studied for sign of mineral linked to water; NASA
Posted on: Friday, 30 January 2004, 06:00 CST
PASADENA, California (AP) -- Scientists were trying Friday to determine whether NASA's Opportunity rover spotted evidence of a mineral that typically forms in water, a finding that would provide a clue that dry and dusty Mars may once have been wet.
NASA landed two rovers on Mars to hunt for geologic evidence that would show whether the planet ever was wet enough to support life.
NASA also said Friday that the six-wheeled Opportunity rover should roll off its lander onto the surface of Mars early Saturday, less than a week after it safely landed on the opposite side of the planet from its twin, Spirit. On Thursday, NASA moved up the scheduled journey from Sunday to late Saturday.
Scientists were cautious but smiling during a Jet Propulsion Laboratory news briefing when asked if Opportunity had discovered a mineral called gray hematite by using an instrument that measures infrared radiation. Gray hematite is an iron-rich mineral that typically -- but not always -- forms in liquid water.
``The information is new, and these folks have been up, some of them continuously for 24 hours, and they want time to check and double check before making an announcement,'' said Ray Arvidson of Washington University, the deputy main scientist for the mission.
``We're still in the process of downloading other ... data sets to corroborate the initial analysis,'' he said.
Another NASA spacecraft, a satellite called the Mars Global Surveyor, previously identified the presence of the mineral at Opportunity's landing site. Scientists believe the mineral covers an estimated 15 percent to 20 percent of the surface across an area hundreds of miles across.
Spirit, meanwhile, is expected to return to full health by Sunday, after software problems ground its mission to a temporary halt. On Friday, NASA showed new images taken by the rover's panoramic camera of rocks at its landing site in Gusev Crater.
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On the Net:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
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