Just what was in that sample of rock the Curiosity rover drilled out of Mars? We don’t know yet, but we’ll find out later this afternoon, and we’d love for you to join us. Watch with us live at 1:00 pm EST as NASA announces the contents of the rock sample and explains why those results are important. Chances are this won’t be the end of the story on whether or not Mars was once capable of supporting life, but it has the potential to be a major piece of that puzzle, and you can watch its reveal live below thanks to the magic of NASA TV.
The sample of rock dust taken from rocky outcropping John Klein — the rock is named after a NASA engineer, which is about the weirdest memorial and highest honor the space agency can deliver — has been working its way through Curiosity’s internal labs for several weeks, and now the rover crew is ready to reveal what it has found in the sample. Spoiler: it’s probably not signs of life yet. But the chemical composition of the dust does have the potential to show whether the planet ever could have supported life, and clues in that direction would really make our afternoon. Probably NASA’s, too. They love that sort of thing.
(via NASA TV)
- Here’s the lowdown on exactly what Curiosity is analyzing
- It’s good to have your computers back online, Curiosity
- If the rover finds evidence for life on Mars, we should throw it a parade of its own
