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By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover sees its tracks receding into the distance at a site nicknamed “Ubajara” on April 30, 2023. This site is where Curiosity made the discovery of siderite, a mineral that may help explain the fate of the planet’s thicker ancient atmosphere.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS New findings from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover could provide an answer to the mystery of what happened to the planet’s ancient atmosphere and how Mars has evolved over time.
Researchers have long believed that Mars once had a thick, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and liquid water on the planet’s surface. That carbon dioxide and water should have reacted with Martian rocks to create carbonate minerals. Until now, though, rover missions and near-infrared spectroscopy analysis from Mars-orbiting satellites haven’t found the amounts of carbonate on the planet’s surface predicted by this theory.
Reported in an April paper in Science, data from three of Curiosity’s drill sites revealed the presence of siderite, an iron carbonate mineral, within the sulfate-rich rocky layers of Mount Sharp in Mars’ Gale Crater.
“The discovery of abundant siderite in Gale Crater represents both a surprising and important breakthrough in our understanding of the geologic and atmospheric evolution of Mars,” said Benjamin Tutolo, associate professor at the University of Calgary, Canada, and lead author of the paper.
To study the Red Planet’s chemical and mineral makeup, Curiosity drills three to four centimeters down into the subsurface, then drops the powdered rock samples into its CheMin instrument. The instrument, led by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, uses X-ray diffraction to analyze rocks and soil. CheMin’s data was processed and analyzed by scientists at the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Drilling through the layered Martian surface is like going through a history book,” said Thomas Bristow, research scientist at NASA Ames and coauthor of the paper. “Just a few centimeters down gives us a good idea of the minerals that formed at or close to the surface around 3.5 billion years ago.”
The discovery of this carbonate mineral in rocks beneath the surface suggests that carbonate may be masked by other minerals in near-infrared satellite analysis. If other sulfate-rich layers across Mars also contain carbonates, the amount of stored carbon dioxide would be a fraction of that needed in the ancient atmosphere to create conditions warm enough to support liquid water. The rest could be hidden in other deposits or have been lost to space over time.
In the future, missions or analyses of other sulfate-rich areas on Mars could confirm these findings and help us better understand the planet’s early history and how it transformed as its atmosphere was lost.
Curiosity, part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program (MEP) portfolio, was built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For more information on Curiosity, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/msl-curiosity
News Media Contacts
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov
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Last Updated Apr 17, 2025 Related Terms
Ames Research Center Astromaterials Curiosity (Rover) General Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Explore More
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Curiosity Rover (MSL)
Ames Research Center
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Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
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Curiosity’s scientific instruments are the tools that bring us stunning images of Mars and ground-breaking discoveries.
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By NASA
u0022The really interesting thing to me is how time theoretically acts strangely around black holes. According to Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity, black holes change the flow of time,u0022 said Jeremy Schnittman, Goddard research astrophysicist. u0022So much of how we experience the world is based on time, time marching steadily forward. Anything that changes that is a fascinating take on reality.u0022u003cstrongu003eu003cemu003eCredits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / Rebecca Rothu003c/emu003eu003c/strongu003e Name: Jeremy Schnittman
Formal Job Classification: Research astrophysicist
Organization: Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Division (Code 663)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
I try to understand the formation and properties of black holes. I also help develop ideas for new missions to study black holes.
What drew you to astrophysics?
I always liked science and math. The great thing about astrophysics is that it involves a little bit of everything – math, computer programming, physics, chemistry and even philosophy to understand the big picture, the enormity of space.
I have a B.A. in physics from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in physics from MIT. I came to Goddard in 2010 after two post-doctoral fellowships.
Explore how the extreme gravity of two orbiting supermassive black holes distorts our view. In this visualization, disks of bright, hot, churning gas encircle both black holes, shown in red and blue to better track the light source. The red disk orbits the larger black hole, which weighs 200 million times the mass of our Sun, while its smaller blue companion weighs half as much. Zooming into each black hole reveals multiple, increasingly warped images of its partner. Watch to learn more.
Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell
Download high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio As an astrophysicist, what do you think about?
I think of myself as a computational physicist as opposed to an experimental or observational physicist. I write many computer programs to do computer simulations of black holes. I also do a lot of theoretical physics, which is pencil and paper work. I think a lot about equations and math to understand black holes.
What is most philosophical about black holes to me is not so much what people most often think about, that their gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape. The really interesting thing to me is how time theoretically acts strangely around black holes. According to Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity, black holes change the flow of time. If you could get close enough to a black hole, theoretically you could go back and forth in time. All our experiments and observations seem to indicate that is how black holes might behave.
So much of how we experience the world is based on time, time marching steadily forward. Anything that changes that is a fascinating take on reality.
Related Link: Gravity Assist: Black Hole Mysteries, with Jeremy Schnittman What do you tell the people you mentor?
I mentor undergraduate, graduate, and post graduate students in astrophysics. Since we are working remotely, I have students from all over the country. I help them with their research projects which mostly relate to black holes in some way. I also offer career advice and help them with their work-life balance. When possible, family comes first.
There are more people coming out of graduate school in astrophysics than there are jobs, so there are going to be many people who will not work for NASA or as a professor. Fortunately, there are a lot of other fascinating, related jobs, and I help guide the students there.
What do you do for fun?
I have a woodshop in our basement where I build furniture, dollhouses, toys, and other items for gifts. As a theoretical physicist, I don’t get to work in a lab. So it is nice to have some hands on experience.
I do a lot of hiking and cycling to exercise. I also enjoy spending time with my family.
Who is your favorite author?
Andy Weir is probably my favorite sci-fi author. I also love the epic naval historical fiction by Patrick O’Brian.
Who inspires you?
My childhood hero, who is still my scientific hero, is Albert Einstein. The more I work in astrophysics, the more he impresses me. Every single one of his predictions that we have been able to test has proven true. It may be a while, but someday I hope we prove his theories about time travel.
Also, I admire Kip Thorne, an American physicist from Cal Tech and recent Nobel laureate, who is “the man” when it comes to black holes. He is also a really nice, good guy, a real mensch. Very humble and down-to-earth. He is always extremely patient, kind and encouraging especially to the younger scientists. He is a good role model as I transition from junior to more senior status.
What is your one big dream?
I make a lot of predictions, so it would be exciting if one of my theories was proven correct. Hopefully someday.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations with Goddard Conversations With Goddard is a collection of question and answer profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
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Last Updated Feb 10, 2025 Related Terms
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By USH
White House Press Secretary Leavitt revealed that the large number of drones spotted over New Jersey, military bases and other parts of the U.S. had been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for research and various other reasons.
She clarified that many of the drones were operated by hobbyists, recreational pilots, and private individuals. However, as public curiosity grew, so did concerns about their true purpose.
Leavitt sought to reassure Americans, stating, "This was not the enemy." However, she stopped short of identifying the organizations conducting the research or disclosing the exact nature of the studies.
Her vague response has done little to ease speculation, with many questioning why the government failed to disclose this information during the peak of public concern.
It seems the U.S. government recently launched a drone replacement program for the 2024–2025 fiscal year, allocating funds to replace noncompliant drones with new, regulation-approved models.
Independent reports have linked the mysterious drone sightings to the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to secure additional funding for drone programs. According to the media outlet Redacted, the widespread concern over these sightings may have been intentionally orchestrated to justify increased budget allocations, a so-called false flag operation.
But was this truly a ploy to manipulate public fear in order to push for more drone funding? Would the DOD really need to stage such an event to secure the resources they want?
If we talking about these drones, eyewitness reports describe these drones exhibiting flight capabilities far beyond conventional technology. Some accounts suggest that unidentified orbs often accompany them, raising the possibility that the explanation goes beyond mere funding, perhaps something more secretive, or even otherworldly, is at play.
BUT, if these government or contractor operated drones are indeed conducting a search, it likely signifies a serious threat. Maybe an impending attack on the power grid? Such an event could lead to a complete blackout, triggering widespread panic and chaos with severe consequences.
Moreover, the continuous flickering of streetlights, advertising boards, facade lamps across the U.S. suggests that something is already interfering with the power grid. This phenomenon raises even more concerns, certainly now recent reports indicate that drones have once again appeared over New Jersey, that the underlying issue may be more significant than what has been publicly disclosed by White House Press Secretary Leavitt so far.
The above updated map showcasing all reported and recorded locations across the U.S. where flickering streetlights, advertising boards, and facade lamps have been observed. View the full article
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By Space Force
Secretary Pete Hegseth was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Defense.
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