After 10 years on Mars, rover Opportunity makes big water find [View all]

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Source: Computerworld

After 10 years on Mars, rover Opportunity makes big water find

By Sharon Gaudin
January 24, 2014 06:28 AM ET

Computerworld - After 10 years on Mars, NASA's rover Opportunity has discovered evidence of an ancient wet and mild environment that is much older than previously thought.

The discovery is giving scientists further indication that the Red Planet might have been able to sustain life.

"These rocks are older than any we examined earlier in the mission, and they reveal more favorable conditions for microbial life than any evidence previously examined by investigations with Opportunity," said Ray Arvidson, Opportunity's deputy principal investigator and a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Arvidson called Opportunity's latest finding a "landmark" and added that he's excited to see what Opportunity will discover next.

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Read more: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9245688/After_10_years_on_Mars_rover_Opportunity_makes_big_water_find