Curiosity offers up first scoop of buried Martian dust

Jacob Aron, reporter

(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

Fresh powdered Mars, anyone? The upturned palm of NASA's Curiosity rover almost seems to be offering its first sample of Mars's insides to any passing geologists, but unfortunately they are all back on Earth. Drilled out of the Martian rock a couple of weeks ago, NASA scientists are now waiting for the rover to chow down on the sample, analyse it using an onboard chemistry lab and beam back the results.

The sample should give researchers a glimpse into Mars's past, as the newly exposed rock won't have undergone the same chemical weathering as the surface. It's already apparent that the grey powder in Curiosity's scoop is strikingly different from the rust-coloured soil we associate with the Red Planet. Ultimately the rover is looking for signs that Mars has ever been capable of supporting life.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/28d83c6e/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A130C0A20Ccuriosity0Efirst0Escoop0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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