On September 19, the robot Curiosity, which landed a little over a month ago on the surface of the red planet, encountered a pyramidal stone on its way . NASA technicians thought it was a good time for the rover to make a stop and put all its analytical instruments to the test.
The stone, named Jake Matijevic after a recently died NASA mathematician, stands about 10 inches tall, about the size of a soccer ball, and is shaped like a perfect pyramid. Curiosity detected the rock with the X-ray spectrometer that incorporates its articulated arm of more than two meters. Subsequently, it has carried out the chemical analyzes with the rest of the precision cameras with which it is equipped, although NASA has not yet given details about the composition of the find.
After five days of work, Curiosity has resumed its march through Gale crater, one of the areas of Mars that could have favorable conditions to support life. He is currently heading to the so-called Gleneg area , where he will be able to test his ability to analyze drilled dust inside rocks. In this area there are different types of soil of different shades. One of them, light in color, especially attracts the attention of scientists as it retains heat during the day and well into the night, suggesting an unusual composition.
