By 
March 24th, 2022
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3423, March 24, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is performing Sol 3424 tasks.
From up close, you can admire the nature of those rocks: broken up with sharp edges, reports Susanne Schwenzer, a planetary geologist at The Open University, Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom.
“The eagle-eyed geologists amongst you might think they look like ventifacts.” Ventifacts are rocks, shaped by wind coming from the same direction(s) for a very long time,” Schwenzer adds.
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager photo produced on Sol 3423, March 24, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
“The wind carries fine particles that cause the abrasion to shape those rocks. But, as we all know, looks can always deceive at first glance,” Schwenzer says. “So, to get behind what actually happened here, and especially why it happened in some ridges that give the gator-back impression, Curiosity is taking many more images today and of course adding some chemistry to the mix, too!”
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B photo acquired on Sol 3423, March 24, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The next robot drive is short to an area Mars researchers have seen more rock textures, and where they hope to find out a lot more about this interesting area.
“Stand by for more images of sharp, pointy, laminated, and otherwise interesting rocks,” Schwenzer concludes.
Posted in Space News
