Weird Mars rock has interesting back story
Monday, September 24, 2012 - 08:03
in Astronomy & Space
The Mars Science Laboratory team has identified their target for the first full-up contact science investigations using all the instruments attached to the Curiosity rover's robotic arm. And 'target' is the operative word here, as this rock will be shot with Curiosity's laser to help determine it chemical makeup. Interestingly, it has an unusual pyramid shape, and it was described as a "cool-looking rock sitting out on the plains of Mars," by MSL project scientist John Grotzinger. But the rock now has a name, and while we don't know everything about it yet, like its namesake, this rock likely has a very interesting back story.