NASA captures Mars winter wonderland of megadunes and cube-shaped snowflakes
Daily MailNov 02, 2022
The Facts
NASA's Curiosity Rover has discovered opals — gemstones formed by silica alteration by water — on the Red Planet's Gale Crater.
Arizona State University researchers noticed fracture halos — rings of light-toned rocks — by analyzing data and images beamed back by NASA's Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring the Crater since 2012. Further tests confirmed the opal-rich composition of these fracture halos.
The Spin
Narrative A
As ice has already been found at the poles of Mars, the discovery that water was once within these immensely dry craters proves the planet was undoubtedly a much wetter place a long time ago. Water facilitates life on Earth, and if more of it is found in these crater basins, Mars might one day make for a habitable environment for human beings.
Narrative B
Though it's a possibility, the idea of finding life on Mars, let alone the ability of humans to live there one day, is a big stretch. Even if vast amounts of water and life are found in the planet's subsurface areas, it's because they are also shielded from the Sun's dangerous radiation — something surfaces above can't be protected from due to Mars' thin atmosphere.