PIA07104: Water-Signature Mineral Found by Spirit
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
 Spacecraft:  Spirit
 Instrument:  Moessbauer Spectrometer
 Product Size:  720 x 540 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA07104.tif (197.2 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA07104.jpg (40.16 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:

This spectrum, taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's Moessbauer spectrometer, shows the presence of an iron-bearing mineral called goethite in a rock called "Clovis" in the "Columbia Hills" of Mars. Goethite contains water in the form of hydroxyl as a part of its structure. By identifying this mineral, the examination of Clovis produced strong evidence for past water activity in the area that Spirit is exploring.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/University of Mainz

Image Addition Date:
2004-12-13