Fed2 Star - the newsletter for the space trading game Federation 2

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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: June 16, 2013

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REAL LIFE NEWS: OPPORTUNITY FINDS SIGNS OF PAST MARTIAN WATER

by Hazed

The Curiosity rover on Mars may be getting the headlines, but let us not forget that Opportunity is still going strong – and it’s just made a significant discovery.

The robot, which has been roving the Martian surface for nine years, has found rock laden with clay minerals, scientists believe. That’s an indication that the rock has had prolonged contact with water in the past. What makes this particularly significant is that previous evidence for water on the planet has appeared to show water that was very acidic, whereas the presence of clay points towards a more neutral pH – in other words, water you could actually drink, and which is much more favourable for life.

It’s nice to know that Opportunity, which was expected to operate for just 90 Martian days after landing, is still going strong some 3,300 Martian days later.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22832673

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