Last week, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collected its first rock samples, new pieces of the puzzle of the planet’s history.
Perseverance Mars rover was launched in July 2020 and landed on Mars this February.
One of the samples, collected Sept. 6, was named “Montdenier,” and the other, named “Montagnac,” was collected Sept. 8 from the same rock. These samples may help NASA develop a timeline of the area’s past, said a press release issued Friday.
Already, scientists know that Mars’ history was “marked by volcanic activity and periods of persistent water,” according to NASA.
“It looks like our first rocks reveal a potentially habitable sustained environment,” said Ken Farley of Caltech, project scientist for the mission, led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “It’s a big deal that the water was there a long time.”
Perseverance Mars rover’s first samples come from a rock of basaltic composition and could be the product of lava flows. This volcanic origin would help scientists determine when the rock was formed.
“Each sample can serve as part of a larger chronological puzzle; put them in the right order, and scientists have a timeline of the most important events in the [Jezero] crater’s history,” such as when the crater was formed, when its lake disappeared and changes to Mars’ climate, said NASA.
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While scientists already know the Jezero crater used to be a lake, it is not clear for how long. While could have been filled only around 50 years, NASA researchers believe the recently collected core samples indicate it was “present for a long time.”
“These samples have high value for future laboratory analysis back on Earth,” said Mitch Schulte of NASA Headquarters, the mission’s program scientist. “One day, we may be able to work out the sequence and timing of the environmental conditions that this rock’s minerals represent. This will help answer the big-picture science question of the history and stability of liquid water on Mars.”
Salts found in the rocks could indicate when groundwater flowed through and altered the original materials in the rock or when liquid evaporated from it. Additionally, minerals found in the salts could have trapped tiny bubbles of ancient water.
“If present, they could serve as microscopic time capsules, offering clues about the ancient climate and habitability of Mars,” as well as preserved signs of ancient life, according to NASA. Scientists with the organization feel more certain now that water was on the planet long enough to make it more welcoming to microscopic life in the past.
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