Ocean Optics’ spectrometers discover Earth-like environment on ancient Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Rover uses spectroscopy to find signs that Mars’ Gale Crater could have supported microbial life.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover uses spectroscopy to find signs that Mars’ Gale Crater could have supported microbial life. Image: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS

The ChemCam instrument fitted to NASA’s Curiosity rover has used Ocean Optics HR2000 spectrometers to find manganese in lakebed rocks, indicating there were once habitable conditions on the red planet’s Gale Crater.

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Editor's picks

Keshav Thirumalai, Inertial Sensing Lead, Infleqtion UK, and UK Science Minister Andrew Griffith

UK completes trials of quantum-based navigation systems

The UK has successfully completed commercial flight trials of advanced quantum-based navigation systems, including an optical atomic clock, that cannot be jammed or spoofed by hostile actors.

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