Clay Like Rock Found On Mars Reveals Red Planets Watery Past

Well, it's no Mars Rat, but this rock could be just as important.

NASA scientists announced Friday the discovery of what they believe to be a clay-rich rock on Mars. If true, this rock would add a good deal of support to the theory that the Red Planet was once--billions of years ago in its prime-- a water-rich world with conditions capable of supporting life.

The rock which is roughly the size of a person's forearm, was examined by the Mars rover Opportunity. Opportunity is the older of the spacecraft still in operation on the planet. The newer rover, the Curiosity, landed last August and has seen the majority of headlines since. NASA scientists were quick to point out that it was Opportunity, not Curiosity that found the rock.

Scientists have named the rock Esperance,  and it is one of the oldest samples that Opportunity has looked at during its near decade on Mars. Esperance is rich in elements like aluminum, calcium and magnesium,  all of which could have formed from copious water running over volcanic rocks.

"This is powerful evidence that water interacted with this rock and changed its chemistry, changed its mineralogy in a dramatic way," reportedly said Steven W. Squyres, the principal investigator.

The Opportunity and a twin rover, the Spirit, landed on Mars in January 2004. Both were intended to function for only three months--indeed that's how long their respective missions were set for. Instead, both functioned well beyond that, lasting until 2009 when Spirit became stuck. It hasn't been heard from since 2010.  Opportunity continues to live up to its name.

The Opportunity has already found many signs of flowing water in Mars's ancient past, but of very acidic water. The clays in Esperance - which means "hope,"-- formed in more neutral waters. "This is water you could drink," Dr. Squyres reportedly said. "This is water that was probably much more favorable in its chemistry, in its pH, in its level of acidity, for things like prebiotic chemistry, the kind of chemistry that could lead to the origin of life."

Because of its limited instrumentation, the Opportunity cannot look for carbon-based molecules that could be the building blocks of life. Opportunity is now headed for a 180-foot hill called Solander Point, less than a mile away.

Meanwhile, Curiosity is about to wrap up its work on a couple of intriguing rocks that have painted a similar story of the planet's early history. (Still not the Mars Rat. Sorry.)  It will then begin its one year long five-mile trek toward its primary goal, an 18,000-foot mountain. NASA scientists believe rocks near the base are believed to contain clay minerals.

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