MSL found another Iron-nickel based Meteorite on Mars

Curiosity’s view of Mt. Sharp (From Wikipedia)

Science and technology continue to move humanity beyond the atmosphere. On November 26, 2011, NASA deployed a Mars rover Curiosity and landed it in the Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. Surprising news has since been sent from Curiosity, as it found another Iron-nickel-based Meteorite at the Gale Crater.

Curiosity is seeking answers to many questions from Mars; collecting, studying, and investigating objects on the grounds of Mars. This rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team, according to NASA’s 2006, and 2007 papers.

The Iron-nickel based meteorite has a name: Cacao. (Chocolate comes from cacao.) Cacao is about 30 cm across. Curiosity has come across several meteorites at the Gale Crater since August 2012. This metallic meteorite is a rounded shape which allowed it to pass through the atmosphere intact. The grooves and pits are called regmaglypts, and they are likely created by vortices of hot gas that melted the rock when it traveled through the atmosphere. Even though Mars’ atmosphere is much thinner than Earth’s, it still creates enough friction to heat the meteorite’s surface, according to universetoday.com.

On Earth, meteorites like Cacao were humanity’s first source of iron, and it can be dated back billions of years to the beginning of the Solar System. In human history, people collected these meteorites to make knives and other tools for their needs to survive. King Tut was buried with a dagger made of meteoric iron, and Inuit people in the Arctic and in Greenland used meteoric iron.

Cacao is discovered by the MSL Curiosity at Gale Crater, Mt. Sharp which looks like the sulfur-bearing unit. The unit is rich in salty minerals that formed in the presence of water. Curiosity is investigating and studying Mt. Sharp and its surrounding areas.

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