Melanie Pieper
April 16, 2013
Science Class

The Martian Flower

	The one-ton Curiosity rover landed inside Mars' huge Gale Crater on the night of August 5th, 2012. NASA officials have called the six-wheeled robot the most capable planetary explorer ever launched. It carries 17 different cameras and 10 science instruments, including gear that can detect organic compounds. The rover continues to perplex researchers. NASA's Curiosity rover has sparked a buzz of discussion over an odd formation that some have called a "flower" embedded in a Martian rock. The object gathered quite a lot of attention after Curiosity photographed the flower last month. The so-called Mars "flower" photo was snapped on December 19th. The feature is a rounded, light-colored pebble slightly larger than a grain of sand.
	The so-called Mars flower juts from a rock near an outcrop mission scientists have named "John Klein," in honor of a former Curiosity deputy project manager who died in 2011. The car-size rover is preparing to use its drill for the first time in the area over the next two weeks or so.
	The outcrop and its surrounding area shows many signs of long-ago exposure to liquid water, including water-deposited mineral veins that fill fissures in the rock. John Klein is thus a suitable drilling target for Curiosity, whose main goal is to determine if Mars has ever been capable of supporting life.
	The Mars flower is not a sign of life, but it definitely does add to the site's fascination.