Wasting Away

Rio Tinto Mine, Huelva Province, Spain

The Rio Tinto, a river in southwest Spain from which this historic mine takes its name has been contaminated over the centuries by the effluent from this mine. NASA scientists have made use of this uninviting landscape in the Mars Analog Rio Tinto Experiment (MARTE) to develop drilling and sample handling technologies that may be used in future explorations of Mars. Field researchers have already found that the Rio Tinto is full of extremeophile microbes that can thrive in the harsh iron- and sulfur-laden waters that are hostile to many organisms.