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Mars Curiosity Rover Stops Sampling To Check Out Shiny Object Seen On Surface
The Curiosity rover is stopping its sampling of soil from the surface of Mars because of a shiny object noticed on the ground.
A photo released by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Curiosity’s first scoop of Martian soil also revealed a bright object nearby.
The planned sampling has been stopped so that scientists can get some additional images of the unknown object and assess any impact on the rover’s activities.
“The object might be a piece of rover hardware,” the JPL caption to the photo noted.
(NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
When word of the mysterious item on the surface spread, Twitter commenters, of course, chimed in with their guesses: a lost earring, a cigarette butt, a screw that came loose, Martian macaroni or some unusual chunks of sand.
[Photos: Curiosity rover explores Mars (updated)]
The official @MarsCuriosity account tweeted, “Team spotted bright object on ground near me—possibly a piece of rover hardware? Gathering more data.”
Read more here at: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mars-curiosity-rover-stops-sampling-check-shiny-object-143428660.html
I really hope that this doesnt turn out to be a piece of the rover. And if it isn’t, then what could it be? A potentially very exciting find.
~Ophelia
