Grey rock found on Mars, different from surrounding soil: What could it be?

The Curiosity rover has discovered an unusual rock on the Red Planet that is markedly different from the surrounding soil, both by its smooth surface and its gray color.

As planetary geologist Catherine O'Connell-Cooper reported on NASA's Mars mission page, the rock could have fallen on the plain where it was photographed from the top of Mount Sharp.

It could also be a meteorite that once fell to the planet from outer space. This version seems more true, especially since the rock looks similar to meteorites found on the planet in the past․

According to O'Connell-Cooper, over the past 10 years, NASA scientists in charge of the Curiosity mission have analyzed only a few meteorites found on the surface of Mars, so the new find has piqued their interest.

One of the most curious meteorites found on Mars was Egg Rock. It was spotted in 2016, and its study showed that it was made of iron. Scientists do not rule out that the meteorite was part of the asteroid's core.

What composition the newly discovered rock has and where it might have come from, scientists have yet to find out.

Curiosity: 11 years on Mars

The Curiosity rover was sent to Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission on November 26, 2011. On August 6, 2012, the rover landed on the Red Planet – on Aeolis Palus inside Gale Crater, which he was to research.

Curiosity is an autonomous chemistry laboratory that is several times larger and heavier than the previous Spirit and Opportunity rovers. The rover is 3 meters long, 2.1 meters high with a mounted mast, and 2.7 meters wide. It weighs 899 kg, of which 80 kg is the weight of scientific equipment on board.

The rover is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RITEG), which generates electricity from the natural decay of the plutonium-238 isotope. The rover's power plant contains 4.8 kg of plutonium-238.

The rover moves at an average speed of 30 meters per hour and can overcome obstacles up to 75 centimeters high. As of June 1, 2022, the rover has covered more than 28 km.

The rover was originally expected to last one Martian year, which equals 686 Earth days. However, in December 2012 the Curiosity mission was extended indefinitely. Currently, the rover continues to study the planet and send data back to Earth.