NASA's Curiosity Rover has been making some extraordinary discoveries since it landed on Mars in 2012. Recently, the rover had discovered methane on the planet, and it made many experts believe that Mars is home to alien life at least in its simplest form. Now, Curiosity rover has sent some breathtaking images that show the fluffy clouds on the Martian atmosphere.
NASA in a recently issued statement revealed that these clouds drifting about 31 kilometers above the surface of the Red Planet. The United States space agency also speculated that these clouds might be actually water-ice clouds that float through the Martian atmosphere practically year-round.
"Curiosity took a break to watch some clouds - all in the name of science. The rover used its black-and-white Navigation Cameras (Navcams) to snap images of drifting clouds on May 7 and May 12, 2019, sols 2400 and 2405. They're likely water-ice clouds about 19 miles (31 kilometers) above the surface" wrote NASA on their website.
NASA also revealed that they will be learning more about Mars clouds using the Insight lander. Experts at NASA also hinted that learning more about these clouds could help the space agency to understand more about the Martian atmosphere.
In the meantime, NASA, using Curiosity Rover has also discovered the presence of water on the planet, at least a billion years ago. The new discovery also suggests that Mars was once very similar to the earth, and it had rivers and seas on its surface.
"We have confirmed that the region on Mars it's exploring, called the 'clay-bearing unit', is well deserving of its name. Two samples the rover recently drilled at rock targets called 'Aberlady' and 'Kilmarie' have revealed the highest amounts of clay minerals ever found during the mission. Both drill targets appear in a new selfie taken by the rover on May 12, 2019, the 2,405th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.This clay-enriched region, located on the side of lower Mount Sharp, stood out to NASA orbiters before curiosity landed in 2012," added NASA.
The discovery of clay is quite crucial, as water plays a pivotal role in its formation. If water was there on the Red Planet, the possibilities of alien life also could not be ruled out.
