When NASA released an image of a strange doorway captured by the Curiosity rover on May 7, without any accompanying commentary, the image was shared at lightning speed.
Many opinions expressed surprise, suggesting it was an “entrance to a house” of extraterrestrials, while independent researchers argued it could simply be a coincidence of geological structure.
Image sent back to Earth by Curiosity – (Photo: NASA)
According to Space, the new statement from the Curiosity team – the rover that captured the mysterious doorway – confirms that it is indeed a natural open fracture in rock. The NASA scientists do not refer to the structure as a door, but rather as a… dog hole, as the mysterious doorway is only 30 cm tall and 40 cm wide.
“There are some linear fractures in the mound, but at this location, some cracks intersect. This allows for breaks to occur at such angles,” the Curiosity team explained on Twitter.
“These types of open fractures are commonly found in bedrock, both on Earth and Mars,” NASA stated, emphasizing that it is still an entrance to an ancient past. The doorway may not help us meet extraterrestrials, but it presents intriguing opportunities for science.
Therefore, Curiosity will continue to study the “doorway” and what lies within.
The first photo of the doorway released by NASA on May 11 – (Photo: NASA)
Deep fractures on a planet, including Earth, can be where the planet accidentally tears itself apart and exposes its inner layers, creating a valuable pathway for scientists to study the newly revealed ancient rock layers through the cracks without the difficulty of drilling cores.
Meanwhile, Curiosity’s main objective is to understand the history of Mars through sediments and ancient rocks. This is where materials reveal how the planet formed, its geological evolution, and how life emerged and went extinct.
