Andrew Malcolm
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They're shoveling it on Mars too

By ANDREW MALCOLMPosted 09:10 AM ET

NASA

Without a caption this photo could be any Tonka project on a beach near you.

But it's near nothing.

It's on Mars, about 154 million miles away. There, newest NASA-JPL robotic rover, the one-ton Curiosity, is shovel-ready, unlike the economic stimulus projects closer to home. In recent days Curiosity has been taking its first scoops of soil for remote on-site analysis.

At the same time other Curiosity instruments are taking readings on the Martian atmosphere. So far, at least at its current location, no signs of methane yet, which would be a precursor to biological life, as it is on Earth. A main component of Curiosity's assignment is to look for signs of a past habitable environment on Mars.

Instruments show that Mars' atmosphere, much lighter than Earth's, has lost much of its components into space over time.

Mars is actually covered with vast amounts of dust, which blows about on local winds. It actually created some problems for previous rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, as it coated their solar panels, reducing their efficient in producing power.

Curiosity is powered by a small nuclear generator. Previous drilling of ancient rocks found signs of significant interaction with water. Current samples of the dust and local sands. Scientists reported initial analysis indicated the scooped soil was similar mineralogically to basaltic materials, including feldspar, pyroxene and olivine. Significant amounts are non-crystalline like volcanic glass.

"The ancient rocks, such as the conglomerates, suggest flowing water, while the minerals in the younger soil are consistent with limited interaction with water,” said David Bish, one of the investigating scientists from Indiana University.

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