【ebony】

NASA's Curiosity rover spotted a strange rock on ebonyMars, so of course, it shot it with a laser.

The intrepid, car-sized robot found an egg-shaped, golf ball-sized shiny rock that looked unlike any other rocks around it on Oct. 27.

NASA Scientists controlling the rover suspected that the odd rock is an iron meteorite that found its way to the Martian surface.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: History's most spectacular Mars mission fails

So to confirm their suspicions, the researchers had Curiosity fire its laser at the meteorite.

The laser instrument (called ChemCam) has a specific scientific purpose. The instrument can decipher the chemical makeup of target rocks by gathering data on the types of light the rocks emit when hit with the laser beam.

According to Curiosity's chemical analysis, the rock discovered last week is made of nickel and iron. In addition, Curiosity also found an iron-nickel-phosphide mineral that is relatively common in these kinds of meteorites, but rare in other rocks, according to NASA.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

These metal meteorites are also thought to be leftovers from the cores of asteroids floating around out in the solar system.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Iron meteorites provide records of many different asteroids that broke up, with fragments of their cores ending up on Earth and on Mars," Curiosity team member Horton Newsom said in a statement.

"Mars may have sampled a different population of asteroids than Earth has."

This isn't the first meteorite a NASA rover on Mars has spotted.

NASA's Opportunity rover -- which is still roaming the surface of Mars -- found another iron-nickel meteorite on the planet's surface in 2009. That meteorite, known as the Block Island meteorite, is 2-feet-long, but Opportunity also found another, smaller space rock on the red planet in 2004.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Scientists aren't sure when Curiosity's meteorite (named Egg Rock) fell to the Martian surface, but the rover's laser may help them figure it out.

NASA will use the data collected by the ChemCam to figure out if the chemical composition in the interior of the meteorite is different from its exterior, possibly giving them clues as to how long the rock has been on eroding on the planet's surface.

The meteorite was found on lower Mount Sharp, the part of the Gale Crater that Curiosity is currently exploring. Scientists hope to use the rover's remaining lifespan to learn more about the past environment on Mars millions of years ago, giving them a deeper understanding of if and when the planet was habitable for microbial life.

The rover has been investigating the surface of Mars since its landing in 2012.

• Science
• Deals
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Tech
• Entertainment
• Games
• Life

• Best earbuds deal: Save 20% on Soundcore Sport X20 by Anker
• On Vitamins by Maya Binyam
• Opera Week by Sophie Haigney
• The Paris Review Print Series: Shara Hughes by The Paris Review
• NYT Strands hints, answers for April 26
• Searching for Tom Cruise by Jane Hu
• 5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Minimalist and Abstract Wallpapers
• August 27–September 4: What the Review’s Staff Is Doing Next Week by The Paris Review
• Best Amazon Fire TV Cube deal: Save $30 at Amazon
• How the Booksellers of Paris Are Preparing for Next Summer’s Olympics by Jacqueline Feldman

• Ennio Morricone denies talking trash about Quentin Tarantino in 'Playboy'
• Baby kangaroos scratching each other will make you both happy and itchy
• Two possible 'Game of Thrones' prequels are about the Targaryens
• Tributes flow after death of former Singapore president S.R. Nathan
• Watch a wildfire nip at a highway in surreal video from California
• Check out Netflix's delightful and surprising 2018 holiday lineup
• 9 awesome things from Tokyo we want to see in the 2020 Olympics
• You're very fired: Airline staff Snapchat sex doll and spitting pics
• Watch Rocket Lab send its first commercial rocket to space
• Closing ceremony delayed because everyone wanted a Simone Biles' selfie

• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• On Friendship: Juliana Leite and Devon Geyelin Recommend by The Paris Review
• What the Review’s Staff Is Doing This Week: August 21–27 by The Paris Review
• The Final Dead Shows: Part One by Sophie Haigney
• Best Apple deal: Save $60 on the Apple Watch SE
• “Practice Tantric Exodus”: Tuning into Burning Man by Ben Schneider
• Watch Jessica Laser Read “Kings” at the Paris Review Offices by The Paris Review
• Sentences We Loved This Summer by The Paris Review
• Musetti vs. Diallo 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• Friendship by Devon Brody

• Patched Desktop PC: Meltdown & Spectre Benchmarked
• Sentences We Loved This Summer by The Paris Review
• Michael Bazzett, Dobby Gibson, and Sophie Haigney Recommend by The Paris Review
• Announcing Our Fall Issue by Emily Stokes
• Get Rid of Windows 10 Ads, Office Offers and Other Annoyances
• “Strawberries in Pimm’s”: Fourth Round at Wimbledon by Krithika Varagur
• “Practice Tantric Exodus”: Tuning into Burning Man by Ben Schneider
• 5 Days of Awesome Wallpapers: Cars and Sports Wallpapers
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• Does Lana Del Rey Read The Paris Review? by Sophie Haigney