The Mars rover was able to take a new rock sample from the bottom of the planet.
Its composition could throw the previous knowledge over the heap.
New York - It is a long awaited moment: The Mars rover "Perseverance" has taken a second sample from rocks from the red planet.
The first investigations of the two rock samples have also already been carried out.
The rock consists of basalt and could have been created by lava outpouring, announced the US space agency Nasa, according to dpa on Friday.
Salt minerals are also part of the rock.
They suggest that there must have been water in this area of the planet for a long time.
This is a revolutionary finding: because water could potentially also have made life possible.
The search for life on Mars: New rock sample from "Perseverance" could change research
At the end of February the rover “Perseverance”, or “staying power”, landed on Mars with a daring maneuver.
A previous drilling attempt had failed.
In August he had already taken a first sample of the rock on Mars.
But because the rock was not strong enough, it could not be filled into the sample tube.
As announced by NASA, the sample taken last weekend was taken and safely stowed away.
It's just the size of a pencil.
It is to be sent to earth and examined more closely.
Humans have been looking for life on Mars since the 19th century.
While that initially meant speculation, modern Mars research focuses on analyzing the planet's rocks and looking for water.
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