Janice R. Andrews
NASA’s Curiosity rover has unintentionally discovered pristine sulphur crystals on Mars, which is a ground-breaking discovery. The rover rolled over a boulder and discovered an unexpected discovery: a cluster of yellow crystals. Although sulfur-containing minerals have been seen on Mars previously, elemental sulphur has never been found there before.
On May 30, Curiosity happened upon the area thought to have been sculpted by prehistoric water and debris flows: the Gediz Vallis channel. According to Ashwin Vasavada, project scientist for Curiosity, “finding a field of stones made of pure sulphur is like finding an oasis in the desert.” “We must now provide an explanation since it shouldn’t be there. The fascinating part of planetary exploration is finding new and unusual things.”
Because pure sulphur occurs under unique conditions not previously connected with this location, NASA scientists are extremely fascinated. This finding casts doubt on accepted notions on the geological past of Mars and raises the possibility of unidentified forces at play.
The Curiosity crew utilised the rover’s robotic arm camera to get a close-up look at the yellow crystals after identifying them. The pieces from the first discovery were too fragile, so they tried to drill a sample from a nearby rock. Elemental sulphur was detected in the sample, as confirmed by Curiosity’s Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS).
This discovery creates new research opportunities and may change our understanding of Martian geology. Scientists are excited to learn additional secrets that Mars might hold as Curiosity continues its mission. This finding emphasises the value of planetary exploration and the never-ending shocks it brings.
