Curiosity team may reveal major discovery soon
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has possibly made a big discovery in soil samples from the Red Planet, but the news will be withheld for several weeks until a technical error is ruled out, RIA Novosti reported.
The possible breakthrough data was obtained from the rover's Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) onboard chemistry lab, which analyzes samples of Martian soil.
"We're getting data from SAM as we sit here and speak, and the data looks really interesting. The science team is busily chewing away on it as it comes down," John Grotzinger, the principal investigator for the rover mission, told the NPR radio station.
Grotzinger said a recent analysis showed something "earthshaking."
"This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good," he said.
He refused to give any further information saying the data should be checked and double-checked first.
Recently, the scientific team thought it was on the verge of a major scientific breakthrough after discovering that some samples analyzed by Curiosuty contain methane, which can come from living organisms.
When the measurements were taken again, the signs of methane disappeared, indicating that the substance was brought in air from the launch pad in Florida.