A rock sample analyzed by Curiosity in February contained sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and carbon, critical building blocks for a living organism. An ancient streambed, analyzed in September, also contained minerals likely to have formed in the presence of "relatively fresh water," according to a written statement from NASA.
"We have characterized a very ancient, but strangely new 'gray Mars' where conditions once were favorable for life," said John Grotzinger, Mars Science Laboratory project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., in the statement. "Curiosity is on a mission of discovery and exploration, and as a team we feel there are many more exciting discoveries ahead of us in the months and years to come."
"A fundamental question for this mission is whether Mars could have supported a habitable environment," added Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program in Washington. "From what we know now, the answer is yes."
The finding comes via Curiosity's drill, which uncovered a sample of gray soil quite different from the typical heavily oxidized ground that gives the 'Red Planet' its famous color, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The sample was taken in Mars' "Yellowknife Bay" area, then analyzed aboard the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instruments to reveal the rock's specific chemical composition.
Curiosity first came across organic matter on Mars in December 2012.
A highly-anticipated announcement said to be "one for the history books" revealed organic molecules known as chloromethanes; at the time, scientists were concerned the carbon-hydrogen-chlorine compounds may have been inadvertently carried to Mars from Earth.
This latest announcement comes less than two weeks after a malfunction in Curiosity's main computer corrupted data and forced the rover into a "safe mode" of minimal activity. A backup computer, installed for precisely this scenario, has been activated and used to repair the main computer.
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