In 2012 - NASA sent a Robot to Mars, to rove around the huge Gale Crater and see what it could find. The robot was named 'Curiosity'. It had drilling tools and could chemically analyze rocks.
Curiosity went all over the place - and most of what it saw was Martian Junk - crappy sand and wind scoured rocks. Really useless Stuff.
But in one part of the Crater these was an area of light-colored rock full of Fissures. Fissures got everybody at NASA hot and bothered.
Many a beer was drunk because of finding Fissures. Everybody got drunk.
You would have thought they had discovered Gold.
Well, they did discover was the next best thing - Opals. The good old gemstone from Australia is also on Mars.
The Fissures had fractured rocks and the rocks had opal deposits. This found this out by Curiosity's drilling and visual and chemical analysis.
Of course, this meant more drinking and partying at NASA.
Curious is still being 'curious' on Mars as of 2023.
If it ever strikes Gold - everybody will be going to Mars.
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, everybody.
(a Dr. Futuro article.)
