04/02/2021 4:14 PM
Clarín.com
International
Updated 04/02/2021 4:14 PM
The
NASA
shared a photo of a mysterious blue stone found by her gnawing
Perseverance
, that since February studying the surface of Mars for signs of ancient life.
Although Mars is commonly associated with the color red (hence its name "Red Planet"), the stone found by Perseverance, about
15 centimeters long
, appears to be blue-green and has dots that glow along its entire surface in its surface.
"While the helicopter is getting ready, I can't help but look at the nearby rocks. This strange rock has my science team swapping many hypotheses. If you look closely, you might see the row of laser marks where I hit it to get more information." wrote the official profile of rover on
.
Days ago, one of the cameras aboard NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars spotted the mission's first dust devil, moving across the terrain of Jezero crater.
Photo: DPA
The laser installed on the rover is designed to
destroy Martian rocks
in order to collect data on the geology of the planet.
When heated to thousands of degrees, its fragments evaporate, turning into plasma.
At this time, the SuperCam camera installed on the mast of the rover can photograph it to later analyze its chemical composition.
In addition, the sound of impacts also provides valuable information.
Based on its intensity, conclusions can be drawn about its
physical structure.
Responding to several queries made between the comments of the tweet about the origin of these points, the US space agency admitted that it has not yet determined the
exact origin
of the rock.
The main hypotheses indicate that it could be the result of the erosion of the local bedrock, a fragment of Mars thrown into the area "by an event of a distant impact" or a meteorite.
It will take Perseverance about a month to thoroughly inspect the rover and load new flight software to prepare for its search for ancient life on Mars.
The 6-wheeled rover, about 3 meters long and 1,025 kilograms, is searching Mars for
signs of past microbial life
and collecting selected rock and sediment samples for future shipment to Earth.
It carries two microphones, which pick up the sound of Mars, and a small
, four-legged,
less than 2-kilogram
helicopter
called Ingenuity, which is ready to go and will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.
Deployment of the Ingenuity helicopter has begun, which has now been detached from the spacecraft.
Photo.
DPA
Perseverance will also characterize the
geology and climate of Mars
, and for this it transports drills that will pierce the stones to extract about thirty samples in test tubes.
It will also pave the way for future human exploration beyond the Moon.
