After almost two years on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover has revealed more knowledge of our neighboring planet than ever thought possible. New details of habitability and study of sediment have been highlights of the mission, and scientists say much more is being taken underway in the upcoming months.
Business Standard reports that much of Mars' past habitability has been revealed through details about the planet's geology and mineralogy. It appears there was a stream of flowing water, which is the first example of sedimentary conglomerates found on another planet besides Earth.
PSI Senior Scientists Rebecca M.E. Williams, who is a Curiosity science co-Investigator, states that the sediments found are good evidence for a lake that provided a habitable environment at one point, reports PHYS.org. Thousands of chemical analyses have been collected by the rover in the two years on the planet, and hundreds of images of rock, soil, and individual mineral compositions have made their way back to Earth, allowing scientists to dive into an unknown world and solve what they consider a "very complex puzzle."