Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Mars machinery has detected more than 20 organic molecules from clay-bearing sandstones in Glen Torridon, Gale crater, work done by the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite onboard the Curiosity rover. Three drill samples were taken and diverse organic molecules were found on Mars.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been dutifully probing Gale crater and Mount Sharp since the robot plopped down on the Red Planet on August 6, 2012.

But there’s new news from the car-sized Mars machinery now wheeling about in the Glen Torridon region of Gale crater, a place that scientists believe was a locale where ancient conditions would have been favorable to supporting life, if it was there in the first place.

Mars beckons for future life detection missions and instruments. Humans and robots are likely to team up to augment the types of exploration avenues that can be done on the Red Planet.
Image credit: NASA/Ames Research Center

Diverse mix

Curiosity has found a diverse mix of organic molecules on Mars, including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life on Earth. The finding marks the first time a new kind of chemical experiment has been performed on another planet.

For more details, go to my new Space.com story – “NASA’s Curiosity rover finds building blocks of life on Mars. Scientists aren’t sure how they got there” – at:

https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/nasas-curiosity-rover-finds-building-blocks-of-life-on-mars-scientists-arent-sure-how-they-got-there