NASA’s Curiosity rover makes shocking discovery on Mars: 'It shouldn’t be there'

ORLANDO, Fla. - NASA is sharing details about its shocking recent discovery on Mars.

On May 30, NASA's Curiosity rover uncovered yellow sulfur crystals on the Red Planet, something scientists said was the first time sulfur of that nature has been found on that planet, NASA said in a news release.

The rover detected the phenomenon after it happened to drive over a rock which caused it to crack open, revealing the elemental sulfur.

On May 30, NASA's Curiosity rover uncovered yellow sulfur crystals on the Red Planet, something scientists said was the first time sulfur of that nature has been found on that planet, NASA said. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

"Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert," Curiosity’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement. 

Scientists were amazed by the discovery because pure sulfur forms solely in a small range of conditions, which NASA said the Martian planet has no history of. 

"It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting," Vasavada said.

The Curiosity rover has been surveying the sulfate-laden Martian area since October 2023. 

Prior to May's discovery, the rover only detected a blend of sulfur and other materials.

Scientists are working to learn what connection, if any, the pure sulfur has with other sulfur-based minerals found in the region.