I don’t know how it does it but the Mars rover opportunity continues to send back results from Mars. This one could be very significant as opportunity has found slivers of a bright material that could be gypsum (calcium sulphate). If this is confirmed it will be the most unambiguous sign of water yet found on Mars.
Mars Rover Opportunity
Sulphates have been found before but the location of their formation was unknown. The sulphates get moved around by the wind and mix with other materials. The recently found deposit of gypsum was almost definitely formed where it was found and created by water flowing through a fracture depositing gypsum.
Homestake Vein Mars
The gypsum is in a narrow vein about 1 to 2 cm wide and 40 to 50 cm in length. Opportunity has a microscopic imager which it has been examining the deposit with. It has also been using its x-ray spectrometer and the multiple filters of its mast camera. The vein has been given the name homestake.
This discovery adds weight to all the other discoveries of indications of water on Mars leading to the conclusion that Mars used to be a wetter and warmer place billions of years ago. Where there is water there is life so the NASA saying goes and therefore this discovery also adds weight to the search for life on Mars. The gypsum discovery may show that the water was not as acidic as some of the other waters that evidence has been found for.
Mars
Opportunity won’t be making many more discoveries in the coming months as it goes into hibernation mode to conserve energy to make it through its fifth Martian winter. The costs are about $12 million a year to run the mission and NASA could be spending that sort of money for many years yet as there is no sign of opportunity giving up the ghost anytime soon.
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