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10. Sleeping Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Liquid Water

Ten months after officially giving up on getting Spirit out of the Martian sand trap that ensnared it last year, NASA announced the rover had made perhaps its biggest discovery in that very spot.

Spirit's wheels dug up soil beneath the crusty surface that contains minerals thought to be hematite, silica and gypsum, which don’t dissolve easily in water. But just below this soil, there are layers of iron sulfate minerals, which do dissolve easily. These layers suggest water, maybe in the form of frost or snow, seeped into the ground relatively recently and carried the soluble minerals deeper into the soil.

Sadly, this serendipitous discovery may be Spirit’s last. NASA hasn't heard from the rover since it went into hibernation for the Martian winter in March.

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Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University

Authors: Betsy Mason

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