Hello All!   
      
   A Hint of Hawaii in the Sands of Mars        
      
   Oct. 31, 2012: New results from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity show that the   
   mineralogy of Martian soil is similar to weathered basaltic soils of volcanic   
   origin in Hawaii.    
      
   The minerals were identified in the first sample of Martian soil ingested   
   recently by the rover. Curiosity used its Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin)   
   instrument to analyze the sample.    
      
   "Our team is elated with these first results from our instrument," said David   
   Blake of NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., who is the   
   principal investigator for CheMin.  "They heighten our anticipation for future   
   CheMin analyses in the months and miles ahead for Curiosity."    
      
   http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16217.html   
      
   The first x-ray crystallography view of Martian soil. Obtained by the   
   Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) experiment on NASA's Curiosity rover, these   
   data reveal crystalline feldspar, pyroxenes and olivine mixed with some   
   amorphous (non-crystalline) material. The soil sample is similar to volcanic   
   soils in Hawaii. [more]    
   CheMin uses X-ray diffraction, the standard practice for geologists on Earth   
   using much larger laboratory instruments. This method provides more accurate   
   identifications of minerals than any method previously used on Mars. X-ray   
   diffraction reads minerals' internal structure by recording how their crystals   
   distinctively interact with X-rays.    
      
   Innovations from Ames led to an X-ray diffraction instrument compact enough to   
   fit inside the rover. Mars exploration wasn't the only benefit, however. The   
   innovations have also led to applications on Earth such as compact and   
   portable X-ray diffraction equipment for oil and gas exploration, analysis of   
   archaeological objects and screening of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, among   
   other uses.    
      
   The identification of minerals in rocks and soil is crucial for Curiosity's   
   mission to assess past environmental conditions in Gale Crater. Each mineral   
   records the conditions under which it formed.    
      
   http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16174.html   
      
   Curiosity sampled the soil from this wind blown deposit dubbed "Rocknest."   
   [more] The specific sample for CheMin's first analysis was soil Curiosity   
   scooped up at a patch of dust and sand that the team named Rocknest. The   
   sample was processed through a sieve to exclude particles larger than 0.006   
   inch (150 micrometers), roughly the width of a human hair. The sample has at   
   least two components: dust distributed globally in dust storms and fine sand   
   originating more locally. Unlike conglomerate rocks Curiosity investigated a   
   few weeks ago, which are several billion years old and indicative of flowing   
   water, the soil material CheMin has analyzed is more representative of modern   
   processes on Mars.    
      
   "Much of Mars is covered with dust, and we had an incomplete understanding of   
   its mineralogy," said David Bish, CheMin co-investigator with Indiana   
   University in Bloomington. "We now know it is mineralogically similar to   
   basaltic material, with significant amounts of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine,   
   which was not unexpected. Roughly half the soil is non-crystalline material,   
   such as volcanic glass or products from weathering of the glass. "    
      
   Bish said, "So far, the materials Curiosity has analyzed are consistent with   
   our initial ideas of the deposits in Gale Crater recording a transition   
   through time from a wet to dry environment. The ancient rocks, such as the   
   conglomerates, suggest flowing water, while the minerals in the younger soil   
   are consistent with limited interaction with water."    
      
   During the two-year prime mission of the Mars Science Laboratory Project,   
   researchers are using Curiosity's 10 instruments to investigate whether areas   
   in Gale Crater ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial   
   life.    
      
      
   Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA   
      
   More Information    
   NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages   
   the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built   
   Curiosity and CheMin.    
      
   For more information about Curiosity and its mission, visit: htt   
   ://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .    
      
   For more information about a commercial application of the CheMin technology,   
   visit: http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/mars-rover-technology-helps-u   
   lock-art-mysteries/ .    
      
   You can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at: http://ww   
   .facebook.com/marscuriosity and http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .    
       
      
   Regards,   
      
   Roger    
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
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