Curiosity finds first signs of Mars’ history By Tiffanie
Reynolds | firstname.lastname@example.org Mars rover Curiosity
will be drilling into what may be the first signs of water in
the next two weeks. During a news teleconference held Tuesday,
Mars Science Laboratory project manager Richard Cook and the
rest of the team announced their discovery of veins filled with
hydrated calcium sulfate in the bedrock on Yellowknife Bay, a
shallow depression toward the bottom of the Gale Crater, where
Curiosity is currently located. The team takes the presence of
hydrated calcium sulfate in the rock as a sign that there once
was water in the area, because calcium sulfate is produced when
water evaporates from the mineral as it is being heated. Other
signs include the different types of rocks found in the area.
From sandstone to very fine silkstone, the number and variety of
rocks tells the team that each type was made under different
conditions. Even the grains in the rock have a rounded shape,
which indicates that the r