Mineral Monday:
Rutgers University Faculty and Students Present at the MSA Inaugural Meeting
By Shaunna Morrison

The MSA Inaugural Meeting took place on Feb. 17-19, 2026, in Tucson AZ.
#MSACommunications #MineralMonday #Rutgers #CheMin #zircon #Herkimerdiamonds #GaleCrater #Moon

Do Mars Organics Prove Life on Mars? No, Mars organics do not by themselves prove life on Mars. Mars organics are carbon‑containing molecules that can be produced by biology or by nonbiological chemistry. A recent study of Curiosity rover samples from Gale Crater, published in Astrobiology, argues that known nonbiological sources fall short of explaining certain ancient alkanes, which keeps a biological origin possible but unproven (

Finding organics on Mars doesn’t equal finding life. Here’s what those molecules can and can’t tell us—and how rovers are testing them. What do you think matters most as we hunt for biosignatures? #AbioticSynthesis #CuriosityRover #GaleCrater #MarsOrganics #PerseveranceRover

Cute comic shows a young green alien with a leash attached to the Curiosity Rover, telling their parents “He followed me home. His name is Rover”

T’was on this day (Aug. 6) in 2012 that Curiosity Rover landed on Aeolis Palus, inside #GaleCrater on #Mars.

#CuriosityRover #MarsLanding #MarsExploration #RedPlanet #NASA #SpaceExploration #Science #SpaceHistory

Image 1

Maybe This Will Cool You Off: Latest #exometeorology report from #GaleCrater on #Mars from the #CuriosityRover.

https://mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed/image/mslweather/ 

Maybe This Will Cool You Off: Latest #exometeorology report from #GaleCrater on #Mars from the #CuriosityRover. https://mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed/image/mslweather/

Maybe This Will Cool You Off: Latest #exometeorology report from #GaleCrater on #Mars from the #CuriosityRover.

mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed...

Mars Mystery Deepens: Curiosity Uncovers a Secret Lattice of Bizarre Ridges in Gale Crater NASA’s Curiosity has uncovered a vast lattice of mineral “boxwork” ridges on Mount Sharp, evidence that groundwater lingered beneath the Martian surface even after its rivers and lakes vanished....

Mars Mystery Deepens: Curiosity Uncovers a Secret Lattice of Bizarre Ridges in Gale Crater #Science #Space #PlanetaryScience #MarsExploration #CuriosityRover #GaleCrater

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Discovers Strange ‘Boxwork’ Patterns on Mars NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds Mysterious ‘Boxwork’ Patterns on Mars—And They Could Be Traces of Ancient Waterways NASA’s Curiosity rover has

NASA Finds Evidence of Underground Water in Mysterious Mars Formations

#MarsDiscovery #CuriosityRover #NASAFindings
#BoxworkMars #AncientMarsWater #SpaceExploration
#GaleCrater #RedPlanetMystery #MarsGeology
#NASAScience

Maybe this will cool you off: #Exometeorology is the study of weather on other planetary bodies outside of Earth. From one week ago, weather in #GaleCrater on the #4thRockFromTheSun was much colder than what we're experiencing here. Catch a #Mars chill here: https://mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed/image/mslweather/

Maybe this will cool you off:
#Exometeorology is the study of weather on other planetary bodies outside of Earth. From one week ago, weather in #GaleCrater on the #4thRockFromTheSun was much colder than what we're experiencing here.

Catch a #Mars chill here:
mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed...

A grayscale fisheye image from the Hazard Avoidance Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover shows the rover's left rear wheel on the Martian surface shortly after its landing on August 5, 2012. The Martian terrain, part of the rover, and distant hills of Gale Crater are visible.

Astronomy Picture from 07/08/2012

A Wheel on Mars

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120807.html


#MarsLanding #CuriosityRover #NASA #SpaceExploration #MarsExploration #GaleCrater #RedPlanet #FirstImage #Science #Space

A panoramic self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars at Rocknest within Gale Crater. The rover is shown scooping soil samples from a smooth patch named Wind Drift, with Mt. Sharp visible in the background. The image is a digital reconstruction from 55 frames. Preliminary data reveals the presence of one-carbon organic material in the soil.

Astronomy Picture from 27/12/2012

Curiosity Rover at Rocknest on Mars

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121227.html


#MarsExploration #CuriosityRover #GaleCrater #Rocknest #WindDrift #OrganicMaterial #NASA #SpaceExploration #PlanetaryScience #MarsSoil #MtSharp #RedPlanet

A panoramic view from the Curiosity rover's perspective on Mars. The foreground shows the gravelly Martian surface, while in the distance, Mount Sharp rises within the vast Gale Crater. The rover's own body and wheels are partially visible in the image's lower corners. The scene is dusty, reddish-brown, and expansive, suggesting the scale of the Martian landscape.

Astronomy Picture from 11/08/2012

The First Color Panorama from Mars by Curiosity

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120811.html


#MarsLanding #CuriosityRover #GaleCrater #MountSharp #RedPlanet #SpaceExploration #NASA #Mars2020 #Astrology #Science

In my new entry at @es.theconversation.com I summarize the exciting #Curiosity #NASA discovery of the presence of long chain hydrocarbons (in the way we expect to break from fatty acids) in sedimentary rocks from #GaleCrater, Mars:
theconversation.com/sensacional-...

#PlanetSci
#Astrobiology

A panoramic self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars at its drilling site in Yellowknife Bay within Gale Crater. The image shows the rover on a rocky surface, with a hazy Martian sky and the sun visible. Drill holes are visible near the rover's base. The mosaic was created using images from the rover's MAHLI and Mastcam.

Astronomy Picture from 22/02/2013

Curiosity Self-Portrait Panorama

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130222.html


#MarsCuriosity #NASA #SpaceExploration #RedPlanet #GaleCrater #YellowknifeBay #RoverSelfie #MarsRover #PlanetaryScience #SpaceScience #Astronomy #Science

A 360-degree panorama from NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars, taken at Teal Ridge on Sol 2440 (June 18, 2019). The image shows the Martian landscape, Curiosity's tracks leading back toward Vera Rubin Ridge, and the Gale Crater rim in the distance. The view showcases the rocky terrain and the rover's journey across the Red Planet.

Astronomy Picture from 08/08/2019

Curiosity at Teal Ridge

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190808.html


#MarsCuriosity #TealRidge #MarsExploration #SpaceExploration #NASA #RedPlanet #GaleCrater #RoverLife #CuriosityRover #ExploreMars #PlanetaryScience #MarsPanorama #Sol2440

Curiosity rover self-portrait in Gale Crater on Mars during a planet-wide dust storm. The image shows reduced visibility due to the storm; the rover's drill site "Duluth" is visible in the foreground. The crater rim is visible in the distance. This is a mosaic of images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI).

Astronomy Picture from 23/06/2018

Curiosity's Dusty Self

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180623.html


#MarsDustStorm #CuriosityRover #RedPlanet #GaleCrater #SpaceExploration #Mars2023 #NASA #PlanetaryScience #SpaceExploration #MarsRover #DustDevil