NASA’s Curiosity rover has spent nearly two years rolling around Mars, and has made some amazing discoveries and taken some phenomenal pictures.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has spent nearly two years rolling around Mars, and has made some amazing discoveries and taken some phenomenal pictures.
It’s far from seen everything the Red Planet has to offer though, and on May 25th Curiosity made its first meteorite sighting.
NASA shared the news with the world on July 15th.
The mass the rover found measures about 7 feet wide and is composed of iron.
It’s been named Lebanon, which is believed to be because its shape resembles that of the country.
Two other meteorites were found nearby, which isn’t entirely surprising as Mars is believed to be loaded with them.
The planet’s environment is such that once they land, the space rocks remain largely intact as the atmosphere on Mars isn’t ample enough to cause wear.
Even though this is Curiosity’s first encounter with one, earlier rovers Spirit and Opportunity both found several.
Neither had discovered any quite as large, though, and this recent find causes quite a bit of excitement among the rover’s handlers.
