[meteorite-list] The Strange Attraction of Gale Crater

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 2011 20:57:32 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201110030357.p933vWji009684_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/29sep_galecrater/

The Strange Attraction of Gale Crater
NASA Science News

Sept. 29, 2011: Curiosity is about to go to Mars. The car-sized
rover, also known as the Mars Science Lab, is scheduled for launch in
late November or early December 2011 from the Kennedy Space Center.
After an eight-month voyage to Mars, Curiosity will land at the foot of
a 3 mile high mountain in a crater named "Gale."

It sounds a little odd - a mountain in the middle of an impact crater.
Wouldn't the impact have smashed it flat? Some scientists believe the 96
mile wide crater filled in with sediments over time and relentless
Martian winds carved a mountain in the center, where it now stands
nearly three times higher than the Grand Canyon is deep.

Because of its history, this strangely sculpted mountain is the ideal
place for Curiosity to conduct its mission of exploration into the Red
Planet's past. Joy Crisp, MSL Deputy Project Scientist from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, explains:

"This may be one of the thickest exposed sections of layered sedimentary
rocks in the solar system. The rock record preserved in those layers
holds stories that are billions of years old -- stories about whether,
when, and for how long Mars might have been habitable."

Today the Red Planet is a radiation-drenched, bitterly cold, bleak
world. Enormous dust storms explode across the barren landscape and
darken Martian skies for months at a time. But data from the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest that Mars once hosted vast lakes and
flowing rivers.

"Gale Crater and its mountain will tell this intriguing story," says
Matthew Golombek, Mars Exploration Program Landing Site Scientist from
JPL. "The layers there chronicle Mars' environmental history."

In the gentle slopes around the mountain, Curiosity will prospect for
organic molecules, the chemical building blocks of life. Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter has found an intriguing signature of clay near
the bottom of the mountain and sulfate minerals a little higher up. Both
minerals are formed in the presence of water, which increases potential
for life-friendly environments.

"All the types of aqueous minerals we've detected on Mars to date can be
found in this one location," explains Golombek.

Clay settles slowly in water and forms little platelets that conform
around things, hardening over time and encasing them in ''casts." Clay
could seal organics off from the outside environment much like it
preserved dinosaur bones on Earth.

"If organics ever existed on Mars, they could be preserved in the clay."

Even on planet Earth, teeming with life, finding billion year-old
well-preserved organics is difficult. But Curiosity will find them if
they're present in the samples it takes. The rover is equipped with the
most advanced suite of instruments for scientific studies ever sent to
the Martian surface^1 . When these are brought to bear on Gale crater???s
mysteriously layered mountain, the odds of a discovery will be at an
all-time high.

As seasoned travelers know, however, the journey is just as important as
the destination. Curiosity can travel up to 150 meters per Mars day, but
will stop often to gather and analyze samples.

"It could take several months to a year to reach the foot of the
mountain, depending on how often the rover stops along the way," says
Golombek. "There will be plenty to examine before getting to the central
mound."

A high-resolution camera on the rover's mast will take pictures and
movies of the scenery, taking Earthlings on an extraterrestrial
sightseeing tour.

"As Curiosity climbs toward higher layers, you'll see spectacular
valleys and canyons like those in the U.S. desert southwest. The walls
on either side of the rover will rise over 100 feet. The sights alone
will be worth the trip."

Stay tuned for updates from the Red Planet.

Author: Dauna Coulter
Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips
Credit: Science at NASA
Received on Sun 02 Oct 2011 11:57:32 PM PDT