http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/03/2013312182434631161.html NASA rover unveils Mars was habitable
Analysis of rock sample from the planet Mars reveals elements such as hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, according to NASA. Last Modified: 12 Mar 2013 19:05 The rock sample was drilled from a sedimentary bedrock sample and found to contain clay minerals [AFP/NASA] NASA scientists say tests on a Mars rock show the planet could have supported primitive life. At a briefing at NASA's Washington headquarters on Tuesday, NASA scientist said that an analysis of a Mars rock sample by the Curiosity rover had unveiled minerals, including hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, that are the building blocks of life, NASA said on Tuesday. "A fundamental question for this mission is whether Mars could have supported a habitable environment," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Programme. "From what we know now, the answer is yes." The six-wheeled robot, with 10 scientific instruments on board, is the most sophisticated ever sent to another planet. The rock sample was drilled from a sedimentary bedrock sample and found to contain clay minerals, sulfate minerals and other chemicals. Based on the analysis of those chemicals, researchers were able to determine that the water that helped form the rocks were of a relatively neutral pH. "We have found a habitable environment that is so benign and supportive of life, that probably if this water was around and you had been there, you would have been able to drink it," said John Grotzinger, Curiosity project scientist from the California Institute of Technology. Source: Agencies ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
