NASA's Curiosity finds 1-centimeter footprint-like pits on Mount Sharp
Technology
NASA's Curiosity rover just found some odd, tiny pits on Mount Sharp that look a bit like footprints, each only about one centimeter wide.
These marks are not signs of life, but they are another cool clue from the rover that has been exploring Mars since 2012.
Curiosity 3D models inform Mars geology
Unlike anything seen before on Mars, the pits are wider and shallower than usual.
To figure them out, Curiosity snapped detailed photos and built three-dimensional models using its onboard cameras.
While these features do not hint at aliens, deputy principal investigator for Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager program Michelle Minitti says they help piece together how Mars changed over time, giving us a better picture of the planet's wild geological history.