A stone on Mars is of great interest to research. However, it is questionable whether the Mars sample can ever be examined on Earth.
Pasadena – On behalf of the US space agency NASA, the rover “Perseverance” has been analyzing rocks in the Jezero crater on Mars for more than three years. The rover has already filled 24 small containers with samples that will one day be brought back to Earth. But now “Perseverance” has made a find that dwarfs all previous ones. "To put it simply, this is the type of rock we were hoping to find when we decided to study Jezero Crater," says Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley of Caltech in Pasadena.
Examination of the latest Mars find suggests that the stone must have been in the water for a long time - perhaps on an ancient Martian beach. “Almost all of the minerals in the rock we just sampled were formed in water,” emphasizes Farley in a statement from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NASA rover analyzes Mars stone and makes important discovery
Minerals that were formed in water have a special meaning on Earth, explains the researcher: “On Earth, minerals deposited in water are often good at locking in and preserving old organic material and biosignatures.” So could the stone contain traces of possible have preserved previous Martian life? At least that is the hope of scientists on Earth. Analysis of the rock could also provide information about the climatic conditions that existed on Mars at the time of its formation.
Sandra Siljeström from the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) in Stockholm is certain that the newly analyzed stone is one of the oldest that “Perseverance” has examined on Mars. “This is important because Mars was most habitable at the beginning of its history.” Another reason why the scientists want to examine the stone in more detail.
“Perseverance” analyzes Mars stone – it could contain traces of life
The rock that the Mars rover “Perseverance” sampled and analyzed is about 1.7 times one meter in size. Because it doesn't lie flat, it is less dusty than its surroundings and is easier to study with the rover's instruments. According to NASA, the rock, called “Bunsen Peak,” consists of three-quarters carbonate grains held together by almost pure silicon dioxide.
“The silica and parts of the carbonate appear to be microcrystalline and are therefore particularly suitable for capturing and preserving signs of microbial life that may have once lived in this environment,” says Siljeström. “Therefore, this sample is ideal for biosignature studies when returned to Earth.” A biosignature is a substance or structure that could be evidence of past life on Mars.
NASA wants to bring Mars samples from “Perseverance” to Earth
The 24 sample containers that “Perseverance” has deposited on the red planet for a future return operation (“Mars Sample Return”) contain different things: 21 of the sample containers contain various drill samples, and two others contain Mars regolith (broken rocks). and dust), and in one the NASA rover captured some Martian atmosphere.
However, whether and when the Mars samples will be returned to Earth for further analysis is currently uncertain. After a commission found that NASA's return plans were too expensive and too complex, the US space agency is currently working on a new plan. “Mars Sample Return will be one of the most complex missions NASA has ever undertaken,” NASA CEO Bill Nelson said in a statement.
“Landing and collecting the samples safely, launching a rocket with the samples from another planet – something that has never been done before – and transporting the samples safely back to Earth over more than 53 million kilometers is no small task.” Meanwhile, waiting Numerous researchers are excited to finally be able to analyze soil samples from Mars on Earth.
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