NASA reports that its Curiosity rover is observing a newly photographed field of honeycomb-like surface textures as it climbs a Martian valley called “Valle Grande.” The rover images show polygonal fractures—cracks that form repeating geometric cells—covering an area described as larger than any similar field previously seen by the mission. Each polygon is estimated to be about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 8 centimeters) across, based on the scale of the observed features in the rover’s images. NASA and Phys.org both note that Curiosity has identified small patches of polygonal fractures on earlier occasions. However, both sources state that the current discovery stands out for its scale, with more extensive coverage in Valle Grande than seen before. The reports frame the finding as part of ongoing geological observations during Curiosity’s ascent through the valley, using high-resolution imagery to document the distribution and size of fracture patterns on the Martian surface.
Curiosity rover finds large-scale honeycomb polygonal fractures in Mars valley
NASA reports that its Curiosity rover is observing a newly photographed field of honeycomb-like surface textures as it climbs a Martian valley called “Valle Grande.” The rover images show polygonal fr...
- NASA’s Curiosity rover captures images of honeycomb-like polygonal fractures in the “Valle Grande” valley.
- The polygonal fracture features form repeating geometric cells on the Martian surface.
- Reported cell size is about 1.5–3 inches (4–8 centimeters) across.
- Curiosity has seen smaller patches of similar polygonal fractures earlier, but the Valle Grande field is described as larger in scale.
- The discovery is based on images returned during Curiosity’s climb in the valley.
As NASA's Curiosity rover recently began climbing a Martian valley nicknamed "Valle Grande," it sent back images that were a familiar sight to mission scientists: honeycomb-like textures called polygonal fractures, each about 1.5–3 inches (4–8 centimeters) across. The mission has spotted small patches of these geometric shapes several times before, but nothing at the scale discovered in Valle Grande.
2 hours agoAs NASA’s Curiosity rover recently began climbing up a Martian valley nicknamed “Valle Grande,” it sent back images that were a familiar sight to mission scientists: honeycomb-like textures called polygonal fractures, each one about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 8 centimeters) across. The mission has spotted small patches of these geometric shapes several times […]
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