Mystery of ‘Jelly Doughnut’ Martian Rock Solved
NASA said Friday that a wheel of the rover Opportunity broke it off a larger rock and then kicked it into the field of view.
The Internet was abuzz last month when the space agency released side-by-side images of the same patch of ground. Only one image showed the rock, which was white around the outside and dark red in the middle, and less than 2 inches wide.
Scientists had suspected that one of Opportunity’s wheels kicked the rock as it drove. They received confirmation after analyzing recent images of the original piece of rock.