Jelly Donut Shaped Rock Appears on Mars
Explanation:
What if a rock that looked like a jelly donut suddenly appeared on Mars?
That's just what happened in front of the
robotic Opportunity rover currently exploring the red planet.
The unexpectedly placed rock,
pictured above,
was imaged recently by Opportunity after
not
appearing in other images taken as recently as twelve Martian days
(
sols) before.
Given the intriguing mystery, the leading explanation is somewhat
tame -- the rock was recently scattered by one of the rover's tires.
Even so, the rock's unusual light tones surrounding a red interior created interest
in its
composition --
as well as causing it to be nicknamed
Jelly Donut.
A subsequent chemical
analysis
showed the rock has twice the abundance of
manganese
than any other rock yet examined -- an unexpected clue that doesn't yet fit into
humanity's understanding of the
Martian geologic
history.
Opportunity, just passing its
10-year anniversary
on
Mars, continues to explore the
Murray Ridge section of the rim of 22-kilometer wide
Endeavor Crater.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
