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NASA's Curiosity Rover has made a significant breakthrough by detecting carbon-bearing minerals on Mars, offering the first direct evidence of a potential carbon cycle on the planet. This finding adds a crucial piece to the puzzle of Mars' climatic and geological history.

Curiosity Rover: Mission Overview

• Launch Date: 26 November 2011
• Landing Date: 5 August 2012 (via sky crane system)
• Mission: Part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) initiative
• Power Source:Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) using plutonium-238, unlike solar-powered predecessors
• Size and Capabilities: Approximately 3 meters long and 900 kg in weight, equipped with an onboard chemical laboratory for rock analysis

Scientific Objectives

• Investigate whether Mars ever supported microbial life
• Analyze the planet’s climatic history
• Study Martian geology, especially sedimentary layers
• Contribute data for future human missions to Mars

Key Scientific Discovery

• The finding occurred while Curiosity was exploring an ancient lakebed region in Gale Crater, over an 89-meter-long stretch.
• It drilled into sulfate-rich rocks and discovered siderite (a carbonate mineral composed of iron, carbon, and oxygen), marking the first detection of this mineral on Mars.
• Rocks containing 5–10% siderite by weight imply that substantial amounts of ancient atmospheric CO? may have been locked within the Martian crust, rather than being lost to space.
• The presence of iron oxyhydroxides in the same rocks suggests that acidic water interactions could have dissolved siderite, potentially releasing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere—indicating a slow and limited carbon cycle on Mars.