Canada Aviation and Space Museum
Ancient Martian lakes investigated by Curiosity
Years of data collection and research with Curiosity is building a more complex picture of ancient Martian lakes (image credit: NASA).
The Curiosity rover has been at Gale Crater on Mars since its landing on the red planet in August of 2012, and over the last 5 years has assembled a strong case indicating the conditions on Mars in the distant past were favourable for life. Researchers from Stony Brook University in New York recently took a comprehensive look at Curiosity's findings over the years and has reached a conclusion that within the lake that existed at Gale Crater, there is evidence of stratification. This means that there is evidence of "sharp chemical or physical differences between deep water and shallow water." Ancient Mars is looking more and more interesting as Curiosity gathers more and more data.
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Ancient Martian lakes investigated by Curiosity
Author(s)
Jesse Rogerson, PhD
As a passionate science communicator, Jesse Rogerson loves promoting science literacy to the public. He frequently represents the Canada Aviation and Space Museum on television and radio, social media, and at conferences. He co-developed a science communication workshop for Canadian science professionals, to instruct them in more effective methods of communicating their science. A trained and practicing astrophysicist, Jesse holds a PhD in observational astrophysics from York University, and recently published a peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal. Jesse enjoys riding his motorcycle, board games, and ultimate frisbee.
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