#martian oasis

[animapunkocchidipeterpan]

Bauxite Cave - martian oasis - in Apulia

source: trueriders

[mindblowingscience]

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered an abundance of pure sulfur on Mars after it recently drove over a rock and cracked it open, stunning scientists. The six-wheeled rover has spotted sulfur on Mars before, but only in a mixture with other minerals, including magnesium and calcium. Pure sulfur, an odorless element that forms in very specific conditions that planetary scientists hadn't linked to the rover's location, appears to be infused in many rocks across the region, according to a NASA statement. "Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert," Ashwin Vasavada, who is the mission's project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said in the statement. "It shouldn't be there, so now we have to explain it."

Continue Reading.

[arijackz]

Aries Moon ✧ Cancer Mars Allure

Interestingly enough, the star-studded names I researched were predominantly actors from the pre-Technicolor era of cinema. This is no mere coincidence; the interplay of black (the unseen, the subconscious), white (illumination, reflection), and grey (duality, nuance, transition) mirrors the very essence of the moon’s emotional depth and its cyclical nature. Just as the moon waxes and wanes, shifting between light and shadow, so too do these actors embody a world where darkness and light are in constant dialogue—where the unseen becomes illuminated, and the emotional pull of one's body language speaks louder than words ever could.

Underneath the vast weight of the oceans lies a simmering, Martian energy in these natives. It is not overbearing or in-your-face, but rather slow-burning and subtle—something that creeps beneath the surface with a quiet intensity. Mars-Moon people possess an allure that traps you like a boiling crab in a pot, the water warming ever so slowly, until you’re drawn into a molten oasis without even realizing it. Before you know it, you're fully immersed, caught in the grips of quiet power as the water seers old skin off and rebirths you anew.

☆ DOLORES DEL RIÓ ☆

☾ These natives have a hypnotically, still energy... or so you think. The moon and Mars are known for their speed, however when the moon (the mind) comes into reception with Mars (the drive) she cloaks him with her drowsiness, creating a veil that leads people to think these natives are reserved and delicate. In actuality, they represent the calm before the storm.

These are masters of the delicate art of attraction. They appear softly enigmatic at first, luring people in with the faintest glimmers of their emotion depth, until you're ensnared in their quiet, yet raging waters.

☆ INGRID BERGMAN ☆

☾ Feminine and masculine natives both carry a soft glimmer in their eyes that, thanks to the moon, causes people to get lost in their gaze and yearn to uncover the mysteries hidden within. It is akin to watching the push and pull of the lunar tides as the waves seduce you into taking a dip in uncharted waters.

☆KIM SEOK-JIN☆ (better known as Jin from BTS)

☾

☆ DAVE FRANCO ☆

⚠️ I did these based off tropical signs. I love the sidereal ayanamsas, but it feels right to start this series with the original solstice and equinox calculations. Feel free to think of these natives as sidereal Pisces and Gemini natives!

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

👍🏻2024 Faves👍🏻

Thanks for the lovely tags! @sawymredfox and @jolapeno

Books Listen, I'm terrible at reading now that I make too many make 'em up scenarios in my head and have to write them out. I'm going to give you recs of comics I read this year.

Astonishing Spider-Man (Scott Aukerman can do it all folks.)

Disney x Marvel (Very wacky, love the Donald Duck What If? Wolverine.)

Ultimate X-Men (Peach Momoko's stories are just as amazing as her art.)

Monster High (I'm definitely older than the target audience but it's cute and fun af.)

Fantastic Four (I'm not just saying this because of the Pedro of it all, but the newer comics have been amazing. Looking at you, #8)

Transformers (Holy crap. I only started because my husband loved them and WOW the story. I'll read anything Daniel Warren Johnson writes.)

I CANNOT WAIT FOR ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER IN MARCH

Movies (* are rewatches)

I Saw The TV Glow

Holdovers*

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

Dicks: The Musical

Late Night With The Devil

Y2K

Here's a list of classic movies I ALWAYS rewatch: Philadelphia Story, Auntie Mame, What's Up Doc?, Mr Blandings Builds His Dream Home, Horse Feathers, Rear Window, Night of the Hunter

TV Shows (* are rewatches)

Smosh and Smosh compilations. Pretend it's on TV.

RIVALS

Ghosts (both CBS and BBC*)

Taskmaster

Narcos*

Fallout

Artists/Albums

Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift

God Said No by Omar Apollo

Hit Me Hard & Soft by Billie Eilish

Short 'n Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter

SOS Deluxe: LANA by SZA

Charm by Clairo

SO MUCH The 1975 for the latter half of the year.

Went through mild relisten obsessions with Interpol, TV On The Radio, Bloc Party, Oasis, James Blake, Jeff Buckley, Frank Ocean.

(Guys, I used to listen to metal and hardcore.)

Tagging: @ohheypedrito, @mothandpidgeon, @schnarfer, @almostfoxglove, @perotovar

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Making the Most of It

A follow-up to Blown Lightbulbs by bellygunnr featuring Lasky, Palmer, and Roland and the ever-present passage of time. Here's 3.4k words of AI Possession, brunch, banter, and salvaging your precious time together after a trip to your childhood home.

Also on ao3. This work is mature but not explicit.

The trip to Mars wasn't a total wash just because of the disastrous meeting at the Lasky Household. They still had a few things left on the itinerary that Sarah and Roland had put together without Tom's knowing. And Roland wanted to try those mimosas.

There's some movie droning on the wall sized TV in the background, screen dimmed along with the lights in the room, casting gentle shadows on cream colored walls. Half the pillows are arranged in a comfortable nest, propping them up while the other half are piled on the overstuffed recliner in the other room. They're too high up for street noise, but every so often the passing engine sounds of a ship taking off rumbles through the thick walls of their hotel room.

It’s a little ridiculous, a huge room high above the sprawling landscape of a bustling downtown, views of the shipyard and further out the edge of the terraformed greenery giving way to natural Martian red-brown. A penthouse suite complete with minibar and a bathroom bigger than his quarters on the ship. Beyond excess, but he knows they picked it out for him. Just like they both came along, and comforted him when the house and everything related to it was so damn cold.

The sheets are soft and clean, and the comforter light yet warm, like a cloud surrounding them in their small bubble. Pressed against each other, skin on skin, her mouth moving from his ear to the back of his neck, trailing kisses as they entwine and exist.

He's two people right now and also just one, experiencing the feeling of being held, of warmth and love made physical as she crawls closer and pulls him back against her, their surroundings and worries forgotten as she pets his head, his hair, fingers scratching lightly as her other hand soothes and squeezes his arm, his stomach, his chest. Their legs tangle, his cold feet making her hiss before sighing as they settle down again.

There’s no Mars, no shipyard, no botched family reunion or ghosts of his past haunting them. Just the sounds of her heart beating slow and steady and the dual warmth of being pressed against her and the feeling of his passenger heating the CNI with his presence.

Dozing for a short time, they awaken as the movie ends and another one starts. The reminder that the time they have together is passing makes them oddly emotional, a swelling melancholy that stoppers their throat and leaks out their eyes. They sniffle quietly, blinking away fat, hot tears that slide down to pool on the arm holding them close.

Quiet concern murmured into the spot where two become one makes them fidget and turn, burying their face into her neck and squeezing her tight. She reacts with a forceful hug, one hand coming up to wipe their tears. Rolling over to her back,  she allows them to sprawl across her while they sigh and wheeze as the roiling emotions of two beings settle again. Warmth and a steady rhythm of her breathing soothes them slowly. She waits until their stuttering breathing evens out and kisses their forehead and then both their hands.

There's no hiding here. No need to. No ranks or titles. A brief respite against the rising tide and ticking clock. They may starve for touch outside the four walls of this borrowed room, but here and now is an oasis of privacy. Embracing away from prying eyes, a chance of catching their breath without some threat hanging over their heads, not choking on the signs of their stations collaring them. No need for armor. 

Her hands squeeze and let go of theirs before tracing feather light touches down their back and up their sides, teasing spirals and swirls into twitching skin as they struggle to stay still. Retaliation comes too late even as they try for the spots on her side that make her laugh; she flips them and drags the cover over their head.

Cocooned in the glowing warmth of the backlit blanket, they are pinned by her weight and by her mouth on them. Kisses and raspberries attacking any available skin, their wrists in her hands, their legs pinned by her sitting atop them. They laugh and struggle against her, bucking their hips against the onslaught before she pauses. Her smile beaming down on their flustered face, her hair messy and ringing her sleep-lined face.

"Vacation's not over yet. You can't get weepy on me after one nap, boys." Her voice rasps out of her throat, still thick with sleep. She releases their wrists and drops her arms beside their head, holding the majority of her weight off them as she boxes them in. Her chest presses against theirs, hearts pounding together and she looks them in the eyes and smiles with teeth glinting in the low light.

"We still have plenty of time, and I have a few things in mind." She whispers, grinding her hips down on them as she mouths at their neck, grazing her teeth along the junction between throat and shoulder. She doesn't wait for a response as she moves lower and laves at a nipple. Words seem out of their reach so they make some kind of noise, halfway between a question and an affirmative. She moves to their other side, repeating her actions with teeth and tongue, making them gasp, before she purrs in their ear. "You two should tell me what you want to do. We should make the most of this."

They remember their hands are free and take a moment to figure out where to put them. She notices their slight hesitation and lets them figure it out, only to be surprised when they grasp her face in their hands and pull her down for a kiss.

It's slow and sweet and lingering as they figure out who's driving. Waiting with a patience solely reserved for them, she lets them explore and hums her assent when they do something she likes. After a moment she kisses them back, gently leading this time, growing more forward and licking at their lips til they part; deepening the kiss til they draw back for air.

Their lips are wet and swollen and their eyes are blown wide, rings of gold still shining around dark pupils. Tom's face is flushed and wearing Roland's half cocked grin and she wants to eat them alive and hold them close and never let go all at once.

It must show on her face.

“Like what you see?” The words tumble breathlessly out of Tom’s mouth, but the confident little smirk doesn’t falter.

“Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” 

Their next quip, either Tom’s or Roland's, is lost as Tom’s stomach growls in defiance. The sheepish grin is Roland’s while the embarrassed flush on his ears is all Tom.

“Room service?” She asks, inches from their face. A nod and she kisses them again before pulling back. “You’re buying, Lasky. This place is too rich for my blood.”

She rises, taking the comforter with her as Tom-and-Roland squawk at the rush of cold air. She laughs and throws it back at them as they grumble. 

Going to throw on one of the too-small complimentary robes that came with the room, she chucks a pillow at their surprised face while they bundle up in the regained comforter. 

Yes, Tom could afford to cover the cost. Captain's salary he never spent. The place was expensive, and she was the one that booked the room. Least he could do was pay for the food…and drinks.

They splurge. The numbers on the right side of the menu sit there politely in neat font while she fights her rising blood pressure. They want how much for a burger? She’s out of touch with the cost of tea in civilian populated areas- her own food and nutrition coming straight from the UNSC for so long now. Her main concern was sending money back to Luna for her dad and squirreling the rest away for some inevitable emergency. It’s fine, it’s a vacation, but she can’t imagine spending that much regularly. 

Tom can afford to splurge and being planetside means fresh food. Fresh food alone makes it worth the price. That and Roland's eager to try almost anything. He's practically chomping at the bit for new experiences.

The food arrives on a cart left at their door; the wheels sinking into the plush carpet under the weight it bears. It's covered in silver serving dishes complete with cloches, looking like it's straight out of an old movie. They aren't dressed like it's an old movie though, but it's their vacation. Food tastes better lounging in a robe or half wrapped in a duvet anyway.

Roland delights in revealing their brunch- brunch! Isn't that neat? A meal for people who don't start their day at 0500- and they dig in.

She can't keep the grin off her face as she watches them eat and talk between themselves in one body. Roland seemed to lose most of his usual issues about crumbs and mess in his mission to try as many foods as possible.

She ends up having to hide a laugh in a sip of coffee as Tom reins him in and redirects them away from the mimosas. 

She wonders how long that will last.

Tom's trying to tell Roland that his- their tastebuds didn't like hollandaise sauce, but he's bound and determined to try it all. Watching the usually more reserved duo decimate the plate of bacon and eggs was cute. She was endeared and trying not to be annoyed about it. Her chest felt full and she couldn't stop grinning. 

So the hardened Spartan Commander shoves half a bagel with lox in her mouth and starts fixing a third plate instead of dwelling on it. Hashbrowns and cholesterol will change the funny feeling in her chest. No carefully planned meals here.

The eggs benedict are tried, despite Tom's warning. It has their nose wrinkling in something close to defeat before she distracts them with another dish and finishes off the plate herself. She was never picky about food, couldn't afford to be, but now with free time and Lasky's paycheck, she could agree it was a little weird. Wouldn’t stop her from cleaning her plate.

They start digging into a grapefruit and making faces at the tartness. Fresh fruit was a treat aboard a starship, and most of Roland's secondhand exposure had been so processed or refined, it's no wonder the preconceptions he had were a bit off. She and Tom were having fun forgetting to warn Roland about certain sensations. Sarah was waiting til they switched who had Roland to introduce him to the wonders of capsaicin. 

Still, seeing Tom's face squinched up made her chuckle and lean over, cloth napkin wiping the juice dribbling from their chin.

She's in rare form, so she doesn't insult them. Maybe she's getting soft. Instead, she offers the fruit platter up as a better option. 

"Here. Try these, they're sweet." She holds up a grape, round and cool and much nicer than the ones she's had in the past. So much sweeter and real, no chemical aftertaste or electric purple dye clinging to her tongue. Leaning forward she takes their chin in her hand and feeds it to them, thumb brushing their lip as she waits for their judgment.

They chew and brighten, eyes darting towards the plate in front of her and her face as a blush forms. She leans closer, chin on her hand. "Well, did you like it?"

Tom-and-Roland swallow and nod, and grab a glass of water to wash away the lingering tartness. Their eyes flicker from plate to plate and back to her face. A hand sneaks forward and wraps around the delicate flute of mimosa and she rolls her eyes.

“I want to try it! You’re both making a big deal out of nothing.” Roland says, eyeing it with burning curiosity. 

Three glasses later, they’re giggling as Tom mentions there might be more champagne than orange juice in there. 

“I hadn’t noticed.” She says smoothly, stabbing a waffle off their plate and stealing it before they can respond. The pitcher is on her side of the table, out of their reach, next to her own empty glasses. “Drink some water.”

They smile broadly at her and dutifully sip some water. She can’t take her eyes off them, it’s how she knows they haven’t stopped smiling since they woke up. 

Roland reports he likes the mimosas more than scotch. He also reports he wants to order Irish coffee but she and Tom shoot that down.

“It’s not like we’re driving!” Roland pouts with Tom’s face, but the furrowed brow is all Tom.

Sarah swallows a half chewed bite of food and it goes down jagged and prickling. “I’m driving, you two can argue who gets to navigate.”

Their eyes light up and Tom’s mouth struggles to hold two different smiles.

It’s not a long drive, but traffic and checkpoints to get out of the city delay them long enough for Tom to relax again. She’s glad to see his posture relax and his eyes turn from her to their surroundings. Mare Erythraeum still sported wounds from recent battles. Dotting its landscape like bite marks were great gouges in the ground from ordnance and Jiralhanae ships.

It was more of the same. Signs of war everywhere they went. Signs of the UNSC and its progress were everywhere too. The choking miasma of fuel and engines from the shipyard stunk up their warthog’s cabin for the first few minutes of the drive.

Eventually gray gave way to green gave way to brown. Mars’ red brown soil had been carefully cultivated to support terraforming and human industry before nature had taken its own course back and flourished in an unproductive manner a few kliks out.

Past the old rundown towns that orbited big shipyards where the old hands used to live. It reminded her of Luna in a way. The atmosphere was nice, no fear of failure there, but the signs of age and neglect on old homes next to poorly maintained roads with bright new billboards showing off the latest ads and propaganda. Same everywhere she went. Sad and comforting in a way, as long as you stay useful, you stayed fed, and your home wouldn’t end up boarded up and abandoned.

Now she was overthinking things and being morose, what the hell?

Sarah eases the ‘hog out of the slower speed zone of the small town and back out onto the open highway towards their destination. Few others were on the road this way so she looks over at Tom-and-Roland with a smile, rolls down the windows, and guns the engine.

It takes off with a delayed roar and the wind greets them with its own roar in return.

Her passenger whoops as the warthog shudders and revs under her demanding hands. She wouldn’t push it too hard, not when they had the drive back to the hotel ahead of them. Sarah took care of her equipment and it took care of her - she just expected performance out of the damn thing for the price it cost. That’s what you get with a rental, she thinks with a sigh.

Tom’s hand rests on her thigh while he and Roland watch the road disappear under them. There’s a strange pause in their body language she can see out of the corner of her eye and then they’re sticking Tom’s head out the window.

She laughs, loud and clear at the moment. It’s a good day, beautiful even. They sit back in the seat after about a minute and Sarah smiles at the state of Tom’s hair. She ruffles it with her hand, pleased with the chilled feeling and their sunwarmed face and that she can touch them without looking over her shoulder.

They arrive at their destination with enough time before sunset. The Martian day was nearly identical to an Earth one, and she and Roland had researched their options when Tom had told them about his upcoming trip. Though it seemed Roland kept his thoughts quiet because Tom looks around in quiet awe as they clamber out of the warthog. Their boots crunch on the gravel parking lot and he takes in the trail signs and information boards. 

“The Olympus Highlands Nature Reserve?” He says in a quiet voice. “I’ve never been. Never really left New Harmony until…”

“I always knew you were a city boy.” Sarah says with a nudge. “And we don’t get enough time planet-side. Love the atrium, but I thought we might like something a little more real. Don’t worry, I’ll still go slow.” She smirks at him and swallows her own uncomfortableness at Tom’s emotional display. 

“Thank you, Sarah, Roland, I mean it. I-” His eyes shift and he swallows. Sarah allows him and Roland this brief mental scuffle while she unloads the packs.

“You won’t be so grateful after I make you hoof it up the trail. You’re pulling your weight here. The both of you.”

“Yes, Commander.” They say together. She turns on them, glowering at their wry smile and warm eye contact.

She scoffs and slaps the pack into Tom’s hands. “Maybe I’ll lose you on the trail, be free of this. Officer types never listen to me.”

“But then you’d be in charge.” They say, tilting Tom’s head to look at her with his stupid brown eyes wide and pleading.

She looks away from them playing dirty. “Damn, you’re right. I need you two around to do all the boring work. I guess you’ll survive the trip.”

“You always say the sweetest things.” They say as they put on the pack with a huff.

“Shut up and get walking. Roland needs to see how plants fix our monkey brains so he stops bothering the crew.��

“I ask a few questions and everyone gets so offended!” Roland whines, throwing Tom’s hands up before crossing his arms.

“Come on, I want to get moving.” She calls over her shoulder, three strides ahead of them and already ducking into the tree lined path.

They follow without complaint. The trees swallow the road noise and then they are left with only the soft orchestra of the park. Wind rustling the leaves as the sun dapples them with faint light, bird and bug calls echoing from all angles, and the sound of flowing water from somewhere down the path. There’s a low call from the valley where the Reserve houses its animals and information center. A strange baying noise that sounds like the braying of cattle crossed with an elk’s eerie keening voice. They stop and listen. The wind blows an answer that whips their hair and clothes around. Sarah and Tom inhale in unison and release the breath before turning back to their path.

Roland chuckles with Tom’s voice. “I think I get it.” 

Sarah takes their hand and they climb.

The path snakes up the incline, grasses and tree roots anchoring the loose red brown soil while they slowly turn the whole hillside green. Rocks rounded by water and time glisten on the creek bank while dark shapes dart just below the waterline. Dragonflies and other insects flit around in an unknowable dance while larger wildlife scurries into their holes and hiding places amongst the decaying logs and nest-heavy tree branches.

Sunlight dims as time marches on, but it has been time well spent. Tom-and-Roland still feel the ache at the reminder, but the sadness is no match for the warmth of Sarah’s hand in theirs.  

The path leads them to the treeline and beyond. A few more steps up the ridge has them standing on the precipice of one of Mars’ many craters-turned-valleys. They sway in the last of the sunlight as their star edges ever closer to the horizon, dyeing the skyline a cool blue.

Dust particles and Martian atmosphere, Roland thinks, but the scene is all too familiar to Tom. It hurts less than he thinks it would. Being on Mars, seeing the same sunset he watched disappear into darkness when he was left alone. Time passes, but it doesn’t have to hurt. At least, not all of it.

He-and-Roland inhale and exhale, a deep lung-filling breath that nearly escapes them without shuddering. The wind is chillier up this high, but Sarah’s there. Her hand is warm, and so is her arm as she draws them in close to watch the horizon.

They look up at her face and smile. 

It’s her first Martian sunset, they’d missed yesterday’s at the house. Her eyes are clear and her shoulders lower in the most relaxed body language they’ve seen all trip. She needed this too. 

“You know,” She swallows, uncharacteristically quiet. She mulls over her words even as she doesn’t take her eyes off the sky. “I could get used to this.” She says with a squeeze of her arm around them. The wind is chilly and night will be too, but it’s not so bad. He’s not alone.

“Me too.”

[spacenutspod]

On May 30, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, currently exploring Gale Crater on the red planet, drove over a small rock on the Martian surface. The rock cracked open while driving over the rock, revealing its interior composition. Scientists on Curiosity’s team were stunned to find yellow sulfur crystals within the rock — the first time these crystals have been spotted on Mars. What’s more, the rock these crystals were found in is made of elemental, or pure, sulfur, unlike the more common sulfur-based minerals Curiosity has previously detected. Since October 2023, Curiosity has been investigating a region of Gale Crater rich with sulfates, a kind of salt that forms as water evaporates and contains sulfur. Scientists aren’t yet sure if there is a connection between the pure sulfur found in the rock and the sulfur-based rocks that have been found in the past. Sulfur can only form in a very narrow set of conditions. Curiosity’s scientists haven’t associated the region the rover is exploring with these conditions, which is why the team was shocked by sulfur crystals within the rock. This also isn’t the only rock in this region like this — the team has since identified an entire field of similar rocks in the area around the rover. The rock Curiosity drove over and subsequently discovered sulfur crystals within. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) “Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert. It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting,” said Ashwin Vasavada, a Curiosity project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. See AlsoCuriosity Mission UpdatesSpace Science CoverageNSF StoreClick here to Join L2 In September 2014, Curiosity began climbing Mount Sharp (also referred to as “Aeolis Mons”), a large 5.5 km tall mountain in the center of Gale Crater. Along its trek up, Curiosity has explored several different regions of the mountain. Its latest stop was at the Gediz Vallis channel — a large groove in the side of Mount Sharp that winds down to the base of the mountain. Each layer of Mount Sharp that Curiosity encounters on its climb represents a different part of Mars’ history. Gediz Vallis is one of the main reasons Curiosity’s science team selected Gale Crater as the rover’s landing location before its launch in 2011. The team believes that the channel was carved out by large and long flows of liquid water and debris. In addition to the channel’s geographical nature, the 3.2 km-long ridge of boulders and sediment that extends down the mountain is evidence for these water flows. When Curiosity arrived at the channel, the team’s main goal was to develop an understanding of how the landscape was carved billions of years ago. Since then, Curiosity has studied whether ancient floods or landslides formed the ridge that rises from the channel’s floor. Curiosity’s findings suggest that both floods and landslides played a role in some way, as some of the sediment and rock piles in the ridge appear to be left by violent flows of water. Other piles appear to be the result of landslides. Panoramic image of the Gediz Vallis channel, taken by Curiosity. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) To reach these conclusions, the team commands Curiosity to investigate various rocks found within the debris piles, as the shapes and appearance of these rocks help determine their past and origin. For example, rounded stones that look similar to river rocks were likely carried by water flows, whereas angular rocks were likely deposited by dry avalanches. Once all of these rocks settled into their mounds within the ridge, water soaked into all of the material. This water then caused chemical reactions that likely created the sulfur-based and pure sulfur rocks that Curiosity is now discovering. “This was not a quiet period on Mars. There was an exciting amount of activity here. We’re looking at multiple flows down the channel, including energetic floods and boulder-rich flows,” said Planetary Science Institute scientist Becky Williams, who also serves as the deputy principal investigator of Curiosity’s Mastcam instrument. The team’s initial expectations for their findings in the channel were much less complex than expected. The more Curiosity explores, the more complex the region becomes, and the team was eager to drill into of one of the rocks in the channel to better understand its composition and history. On June 18, they got their chance as Curiosity drilled into a large sulfur rock named “Mammoth Lakes” using its drill at the end of its two-meter-long robotic arm.  Most sulfur rocks are too small and brittle to be drilled into and sampled, but Mammoth Lakes was an exception. Even with Mammoth Lakes’ large size, though, the team had to search for a part of the rock that would allow for safe drilling and sampling. What’s more, the team had to find a safe spot for Curiosity to park while it drilled, as the surrounding surface was loose and sloping. After drilling into Mammoth Lakes — the 41st time the rover had performed drilling during its mission — the rover poured the now-powdered rock into a set of instruments inside of the rover. Those instruments have since investigated the rock, and teams are now analyzing the data from those instruments to learn more about the rock and its internal composition. After successfully drilling into Mammoth Lakes, Curiosity drove away and is currently exploring other areas of the channel to learn more about its history and what it means for Martian history. (Lead image: Curiosity takes a selfie at the Murray Buttes region of Mount Sharp. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) The post Curiosity discovers pure sulfur rocks, continues to explore Mount Sharp on Mars appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

[vital-deloin]

On May 30, 2024, scientists were stunned when a rock NASA's Curiosity rover revealed something never seen on the Red Planet: yellow sulfur crystals. Finding a field of pure sulfur rocks is like finding an oasis in the desert. It's not supposed to be there, and now we have to explain it. Finding weird and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting..

[netmassimo]

NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity found a Martian rock containing crystals of elemental sulfur, which means it's pure sulfur. In the past, in the same area, the Gediz Vallis channel's area, the presence of sulfur in various compounds was detected but it's the first time that it was detected in its pure form. It's such an anomaly that its discovery was compared to that of an oasis in the desert. A field with stones made of pure sulfur shouldn't exist on Mars, and scientists following Curiosity's exploration of Mount Sharp, at the center of Gale Crater, will have more work to do to explain its formation.

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

Summary:

In the Bialyan desert, a Martian girl wakes up. @spoilerqlert

[idroolinmysleep]

[blah, blah, blah] Pure sulfur, an odorless element [blah, blah, blah]

Wait, what???

But apparently it's true. From Encyclopedia Britannica:

Pure sulfur is a tasteless, odourless, brittle solid that is pale yellow in colour

and Wikipedia:

Sulfur forms several polyatomic molecules. The best-known allotrope is octasulfur … Octasulfur is a soft, bright-yellow solid that is odorless.

Huh. So the typical "sulfur smell" comes from mixing it with impurities, not the element itself. Learn something new every day.

[preciousdemonbrat]

Justice League part 2

I love when Black Canary is a bit chaotic. Zazie can play the more serious character, but she’s played comedy in Bullet Train, Atlanta and Deadpool.

Zazie Beetz(32) as Dinah Lance

The actor that I think could truly capture how angry and condescending, but also how fun and loving Green Arrow can be is Pedro Pascal. I know he doesn’t have the facial hair, but it takes a specific type of person to capture his easygoing, funny, yet also intense energy.

Pedro Pascal(48) as Oliver Queen

After watching Jennifer’s Body I can imagine this man saying funny things he probably shouldn’t as Hal Jordan. I think he can pull off the messy charismatic dude.

Adam Brody(43) as Hal Jordan

There’s a stoicism and warmth to Martian Manhunter that I think needs to be captured that I think Daniel Dae Kim could pull off.

Martian Manhunter Quote:

“This far from Earth I can never help but admire the flows of human emotion all around this ball of blue water. They are clearly visible to the Martian eye. The dance of their joys, tragedies, and apathies. From this vantage caught up in the tumult of their day-to-day. Their love and hate belong in arrhythmic chaos. Every so often a rhythm does appear by chance, a ripple of joy or sadness as thousands of emotions line up with one another. It is so much more beautiful than music. Days ago, as the lazarus rain ravaged the earth, all I could see was the suffering it inflicted. That is until I saw a new song manifest in America. An oasis of gratitude in the desert of new tragedies”

Daniel Dae Kim (56) as J'onn J'onzz

Oracle has led the Justice League in the past. I think she is such an important character to DC, but as her own thing: as Oracle.

Kiera Allen(25) as Barbara Gordon

And I have no idea who should ever play Aquaman. Before Jason Momoa everyone thought Aquaman was lame, so I don’t know who could beat him. I wouldn’t want a white actor to play the role.

[chandu456]

10 sci-fi books that will transport you to other worlds

1. Dune by Frank Herbert

(4.3/5 ⭐️)

This novel transports readers to the expansive desert planet of Arrakis, with its giant sandworms, precious spice, and complex feuding factions that draw readers into intricate political battles and intrigues.

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

(4.2/5 ⭐️)

Readers travel across the galaxy with Arthur Dent on a fantastically absurd adventure spanning bizarre alien worlds, space cruises, and introducing readers to unforgettable characters like two-headed galactic presidents and depressed robots.

3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

(4.3/5 ⭐️)

The book immerses readers in a space academy training future commanders like Ender Wiggin to lead intergalactic battles against alien invaders, exploring this militarized world filled with simulations, zero-gravity combat, and morally complex decisions.

4. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

(4.1/5 ⭐️)

Le Guin transports readers to the icy, arctic-like planet of Gethen, wholly inhabited by androgynous humans, examining unique societal and relationship dynamics shaped by the world's ambisexual nature.

5. Neuromancer by William Gibson

(3.9/5 ⭐️)

Neuromancer projects readers into a gritty, dystopian future where hackers like Case plug into an expansive virtual cyberspace to infiltrate ominous corporate artificial intelligences that loom over a bleak, technology-obsessed urban landscape.

6. The Martian by Andy Weir

(4.4/5 ⭐️)

Stranded on Mars, Mark Watney's struggle to survive plunges readers into the harsh, unforgiving landscape of the Red Planet and his makeshift habitat, ingeniously rigged yet tenuously sustaining life.

7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

(4.2/5 ⭐️)

The virtual reality world of OASIS offers an enthralling vision of the future, as readers join Wade on an epic quest across simulated planets, games, and pop culture nostalgia, blurring the lines between real and virtual.

8. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

(4.1/5 ⭐️)

This first contact novel transports readers to the vivid world of Rakhat, a distant planet inhabited by two sentient species, one predator and one prey, who have developed a unique symbiotic musical and cultural relationship.

9. The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

(4.1/5 ⭐️)

Haldeman sends readers on relativistic space journeys spanning centuries of Earth time, while for soldiers like Mandella fighting feels immediate, offering an imaginative lens into time dilation's psychological effects on veterans.

10. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

(4.2/5 ⭐️)

Readers enter a post-cyberpunk vision of future Shanghai, exploring nano-fabricated landscapes and following Nell's coming of age with the guidance of an AI "primer" book that opens into interactive, enacted stories.

[urloveseb]

It’s his tenth day here—and all he’s known for the past week or so is orange dusty skies and utter boredom.

One of the attendants had told him about the observation deck when he was wandering around aimlessly earlier—where you could get the best view of Mars in the entirety of the empire. It’d interested him—curious to see what a different planet looks like undisturbed, entirely in its natural state. Besides, it’s not like he has anything better to do until he can warp right out of here, heading back to the familiarity of Earth—so he takes them up on the offer, making his way to the tower on the east end of the palace.

But what Seb doesn’t expect to find is someone there already—back turned to him as he gazes at the Martian landscape below him, his white robes flowing behind him like they did that very fateful day, like a flower blossoming in the safety of a desert oasis.

The Exalted.

This is less than ideal—being stuck here with the sole ruler of one of the most influential planets in the solar system, in a one-on one-situation—and he tries to creep out the way he came, silently edging towards the door. Sightseeing can come another day—maybe when he’s not the only person in the room with the Exalted.

Of course, fate wills it otherwise—because before he can even get a foot through the door, something clatters to his left—drawing attention to his position. He scrambles, hoping it wasn’t heard—but it’s only a wishful thought, considering the Exalted’s alertness now.

“Oh,” he says, gracefully turning around to face him—eyes full of nothing but tepid curiosity. “It’s you.”

Shit. He’s definitely busted.

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

There are ancient tales from Earth of a cursed place, one which many explorers would enter but few would ever leave. They tell of a patch of ocean off the coast of Florida—the Devil's Triangle—bound by vertices at Miami, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. Countless ships of both air and sea were lost there over the years, their remains never found. Modern explorers tell tales not dissimilar of a Martian triangle bound by the craters Becquerel, Trouvelot, and Marth. The desert of Arabia Terra is as unforgiving as its Earthly counterpart and should by all rights be a graveyard for anyone unfortunate enough to venture through it. Nevertheless, it is revered as a holy place, an oasis protected by the spirit of its first explorer, a lost crew member of a long ago doomed mission known only as The Martian. Those who have found themselves on the brink of death within Watney's Triangle tell of a familiar guardian who would encourage them to keep going against the odds. This brave pathfinder would point them towards safety then disappear into the dust on the horizon, leaving behind only a pair of rover tracks and the lingering scent of potatoes.

Mars world map if its surface area was covered by 70% water. Place names are based on existing names. 

Credit to A.R. Battarai for the original map.

[unripe-lemon]

shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals :)

OMG HI COTTON!!! :3

ok so i havent been using spotify for like 2 months but here are some of my favourites anyway:

Literally any David Bowie song (BUT MOST NOTABLY - Starman!!!!!!! ITS IN THE MARTIAN YOU SHOULD READ THE MARTIAN AND THEN WATCH THE MARTIAN AND THEN BUY ANDY WEIRS OTHER BOO-)

Champaign Supernova - Oasis (they did it first- dont kill me dont kill me)

Hotel California - Eagles

I Wanna Rock and Roll alll Night (and party every day) - KISS (idk if thats actually what the song is called buut my friend likes them so i thoght id give them a mention)

PACHINKO!!!! but if i had to choose one of thier songs it would be Laputa!! (seriously check out their story on wiki!! its really worth a read, someone also made a video about it on youtube, but I cant remember what it was called - if you search the bands name it will probably show up)

[remembering-the-future]

Verdant Technology: The Dawn of Cosmic Gardens

In 2045, Verdant revolutionized how we see the universe. The breakthrough was as simple as it was profound: creating gardens in space.

Verdant's concept started as a dream. It became a reality when scientists discovered how to grow plants using quasar energy. Quasars, the most luminous objects in the universe, offered a unique light source. Verdant harnessed this energy, making space gardening possible.

Imagine: lush green plants thriving in the dark vacuum of space. This wasn't just about beauty. These gardens provided oxygen, food, and even psychological comfort to astronauts on long missions.

The first success was on the Epiphany Station. Verdant's technology turned barren metal into a thriving oasis. Astronauts reported better mental health and increased productivity. Space travel suddenly seemed more like home.

The impact was immediate. Space agencies worldwide adopted Verdant's technology. It changed the game for Mars colonization plans. Instead of barren domes, future Martian colonies envisioned green landscapes, thanks to Verdant.

This leap forward was more than a technological marvel. It was a symbol of human ingenuity. Verdant's quasar-powered gardens represented hope, resilience, and our relentless pursuit of the stars. The Epiphany Station stood as a testament to what we can achieve when dreams and technology converge.

In short, Verdant made the cosmos a little greener, and our future a lot brighter.