Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Hello Gertrude Weise

"Spirit and its twin rover, Opportunity, completed their original three-month prime missions in April 2004. Both are still operating, though showing signs of age. One of Spirit's six wheels no longer rotates, so it leaves a deep track as it drags through soil. That churning has exposed several patches of bright soil, leading to some of Spirit's biggest discoveries at Gusev, including this recent discovery."

The Mars rover Spirit continues its amazing adventure of exploration at Gusev Crater, this time discovering possibly the best evidence yet that the dry planet was once wetter and more amenable to life as we know it. Spirit's crippled wheel exposed a patch, affectionately named Gertrude Weis so rich in silica that it scientists believe water must have played a role in forming it. The incredible tale of this rover as well as its sister, continue revealing martian mysteries for humanity to contemplate and consider.

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