NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took the selfie, nicknamed “Mary Anning” after the 19th-century English paleontologist. Curiosity pulled three samples of drilled rock at the site as it exited the Glen Torridon area, which scientists believe preserves an ancient habitable environment. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
This Mars Since arriving for the first time in July, the rover has filled three samples of rock in this soil-rich area.
NASACuriosity Mars Rover has a new selfie. This is a place called “Merry Anning” after the latest 19MSentry English paleontologist whose discovery of marine-reptile fossils was ignored for gender because of its species and class. Rover has been on site since last July, taking and analyzing drill samples.
The selfie, made up of 59 images cited by imaging experts, was taken on October 25, 2020 – the 2,922nd Martin’s Day or Soul of Curiosity’s mission.
This close-up shot shows three drill holes made by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at the “Merry Anning” location. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
Scientists from the Curiosity team thought it appropriate to name the sample site after Anning because of the area’s potential to reveal details about the ancient environment. Curiosity used a rock drill at the end of its robotic arm to take samples from three drill holes called “Meri Ning Ning,” “Meri Ning Ning 3,” and “Grocan”, the name of which was last placed on rocks in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. Robotic scientists have conducted a series of advanced experiments with those samples to enhance the discovery of organic (or carbon-based) molecules in ancient rocks.
Since touching Gail Crater in 2012, Curiosity has been scouring Mount Sharp to find life-supporting conditions. This past year, the rover explored an area of Mount Sharp called Glen Torridon, which shared lakes and streams billions of years ago. Scientists suspect that this is why high concentrations of minerals and organic molecules were found there.
It will take the team months to interpret the chemistry and minerals in the samples from the Mary Anning site. Meanwhile, scientists and engineers who are commanding the rover from their homes as a safety precaution during a coronavirus epidemic have instructed Curiosity to continue climbing Mount Sharp. The rover’s next target is a layer of rock filled with sulfate that is high above the mountain. The team hopes to reach it in early 2021.
Caltech’s division in Pasadena, California, leads NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Curiosity Mission. Curiosity took a selfie using a camera called the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MHLI) located at the end of its robotic arm. The mansion was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.
