Nasa Curiosity rover takes a bite of Martian soil
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In this image released by NASA on Tuesday Oct 30, 2012 shows a scoop of Martian soil collected by the NASA’s Curiosity rover. An analysis of the soil released Tuesday reveals it contains similar minerals found on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea. Curiosity landed on Mars in August on a two-year mission to study whether the environment was habitable. -- PHOTO: AP
PASADENA, California (AP) - Scientists say the Martian soil at the rover Curiosity's landing site contains minerals similar to what's found on Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano.
The finding released on Tuesday is the latest step in trying to better understand whether the environment could have been hospitable to microbial life.
Curiosity recently ingested its first soil sample and used one of its instruments to tease out the minerals present.
An analysis revealed it contained feldspar and olivine, minerals typically associated with volcanic eruptions. Mission scientists say the Martian soil is similar to volcanic soil on the flanks of Mauna Kea.
