The cameras of the Opportunity Mars rover, that has been operational on Mars for 10 years now, photographed an unusual rock, which set the scientific community ablaze.
The discovered rock completely shocked NASA scientists after it managed to roll, which is considered impossible on Mars, since the planet has been thought to be geologically inactive for hundreds of millions of years. There, it is difficult for an object to move from one place to another.
Experts cannot find a logical explanation with which to prove the movement of the Martian rock.
Scientists have made a spectrometric analysis of the rock. It turned out that it contained large amounts of sulfur and magnesium. The content of manganese was also two times greater than in any other Martian rock known to scientists.
"It looks white around the edge in the middle and there's a low spot in the centre that's dark red, " announced NASA.
"I don't know what any of this means. We're completely confused, we're having a wonderful time, " admitted one of the experts.
According to Prof. Garo Mardirossian from the Institute for Space Studies, there are a few possibilities that may explain the moving rock.
The first theory states that the rock hadn't moved but was moved by the Opportunity rover. This theory does not explain however how the rock appeared in front of the rover, since the rover has remained unmoving for over a month.
According to the second theory, it is not a rock but a meteorite, whose crater has not been photographed.
The third theory comes close to science fiction and goes against the laws of physics. It states that invisible forces have moved the rock.
At a press conference, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the beginning of the Opportunity rover's mission, lead scientist Steve Squyres admitted that the so-called "erratic rock", found on the surface of Mars is a phenomenon, which cannot be positively explained at this time.
The discovery made NASA issue a report on the status of Mars last week, titled "We Came Upon a Surprise".
