Mars rover Curiosity scoops, detects bright object
LOS ANGELES (AP) - NASA officials say the Curiosity rover has made its first scoop of the surface of planet Mars and has detected a bright object on the ground.
Officials said in a news release Monday that they suspect the object might be a part of the six-wheeled rover, but they won't sample or scoop anymore until they figure out what it is.
The Curiosity has already beamed back pictures of bedrock that suggest a fast-moving stream once flowed on the planet.
The rover landed Aug. 5 and is on a two-year, $2.5 billion mission to study whether microbial life could have existed on Mars in the past.
Today's Mars is a frozen desert, but previous geological studies suggest it was once warmer and wetter.
Officials said in a news release Monday that they suspect the object might be a part of the six-wheeled rover, but they won't sample or scoop anymore until they figure out what it is.
The Curiosity has already beamed back pictures of bedrock that suggest a fast-moving stream once flowed on the planet.
The rover landed Aug. 5 and is on a two-year, $2.5 billion mission to study whether microbial life could have existed on Mars in the past.
Today's Mars is a frozen desert, but previous geological studies suggest it was once warmer and wetter.
Curiosity says," Oops, did I drop that."
Does Rover have a screw lose?
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with our planets population expanding ever so quickly, we better be planning on moving out to other planets.
I think this money could be spent elsewhere ;)
What you think that you are entitled to some of it??
I'm actually really excited about this. Â I wonder what the object is? Â
@Landshark Actually I am with you on this. This whole project is very exciting. Besides my wife says it is not her ring ;~}
Dammit those were the droids we were looking for!
 @Freespeech Those are NOT the droids you were looking for... *waves hand in front of your eyes*
Once we find out if microbial life lived or lives on Mars, we will be that much smarter. Â
Wait, that looks like the ring my wife lost the last time we were there. See if it says 5kt inside the band.
OOPS? There is no Office Depot nearby to fix either (smiling).