On March 25, 2017, the Curiosity Rover took an image of the planet Mars. The Curiosity Rover was the largest rover ever. It was launched on November 26, 2011, and it landed on Mars on August 5, 2012.

The rover recently found an object on the planet which at first appeared to be a rock, but later it was identified by NASA as an ancient tree stump. The tree stump is three feet tall, according to NASA. With plants and animal life now being discovered on Mars, there could be more trees on Mars as NASA continues to explore. There are enough nutrients for plants to grow on Mars, but those nutrient spots are not everywhere. In some spots, fertilizers may be needed to add to the soil. NASA said, “NASA is developing a simulant, a replication of Mars soil, to better understand how it can be used for plant growth and other purposes.” Using this information, scientists could help grow things, which may eventually lead to human life on Mars.

Marcus Conway, senior, was very interested in this finding of a tree stump on Mars. Conway said, “I feel this is very important, because if us humans can find a way to grow plants everywhere on Mars, then that is a step forward to having human life on Mars.” Conway’s view on this topic is one of the goals NASA is trying to achieve.
Joseph Chap, senior, had a differing opinion. He said, “I think finding the tree has zero point and that the United States is wasting their money on NASA for completely useless things. Us humans can put our money to better things such as defeating ISIS or taking down North Korea.”