Mars rover discovers signs of hot springs
by Anne Ryman - May. 22, 2008 10:59 AM
The Arizona Republic
The Mars rover Spirit has hobbled along with a broken wheel for more than two years, dragging a groove through the sand as it investigates the Red Planet.
Scientists say it was this failed front wheel that led to an important discovery being announced today: Spirit has uncovered signs that ancient hot springs once bubbled or steamed on Mars. They said those hot springs would have been similar to those found at Yellowstone National Park.
The finding is significant because it means the planet contained water and potentially was once habitable.
"If you go to places like that on our planet, like Yellowstone National Park, you find those places are literally teeming with life," said Jack Farmer, an ASU Professor and a co-author of the paper.
Farmer and Steve Ruff, an ASU faculty research associate, are part of a 13-person team that spent the past year analyzing the data that is being published in Friday's Science journal.
Scientists became interested after they noticed a bright white substance in the trench created by Spirit's bum wheel. An ASU instrument aboard the rover confirmed the white material was nearly pure silica, a mineral that forms when abundant hot water reacts with rocks.
Spirit's instruments aren't sophisticated enough to detect life, but the finding of a potentially habitable environment could guide a planned 2009 Mars rover mission.
Spirit is one of two golf cart-size rovers that landed on Mars more than four years ago and are exploring near the planet's equator. Their main goals are to investigate the planet's geological history and understand what role water played in its development. Scientists are interested in water because it's a basic requirement for life.
The rovers are the only missions operating on the Mars surface, although on Sunday they are scheduled to be joined by the University of Arizona-led Phoenix mission. Phoenix targets an area far to the north. UA scientists have identified the polar plains as having a good chance of revealing a habitat suitable for life because the icy terrain preserves the geologic history. Phoenix is a stationary spacecraft so it cannot roam like the rovers. It will use a nearly 8-foot robotic arm to dig into the ice, scoop up samples and transfer them to an on-board chemistry lab.
ASU's Farmer said the latest finding by Spirit is the rover's most important to date.
In the past, Spirit has found meteorites and hints of water but nothing as dramatic as the nearly pure silica deposits uncovered by the broken wheel.
The research relied on an ASU infrared instrument aboard the rover called the Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer, known as Mini-TES, to detect the silica deposits. ASU's Ruff oversees daily operations of Mini-TES, and ASU Professor Phil Christensen designed the instrument.
Check out the rovers' site. The descriptions of the various technical problems that have been overcome or worked-around is just fascinating.
