NASA’s Perseverance Rover Uncovers Evidence of Ancient Water on Mars, Revealing Clues to Planet’s History

JAKARTA – NASA recently announced an important discovery by its Perseverance rover on Mars. This discovery has the potential to open a new window in understanding the ancient history of the red planet, which may be similar to Earth.

Researchers believe that the rover found evidence of liquid water in the famous Jezero crater on Mars, possibly even before the first signs of life appeared on Earth.

The findings, published in the journal AGU Advances, show that Jezero Crater was once a fertile aquatic environment. The Perseverance rover, NASA’s high-tech Mars rover, has been combing the western slopes of Jezero Crater for years. In 2022, the rover collected seven rock samples from this region, called the “fan fort,” which could be the key to understanding the history of Mars.

These rocks, which are estimated to be over 3.5 billion years old, contain minerals that usually form in water. This discovery surprised scientists because it confirmed the presence of water on Mars in the past.

“These rocks confirm the existence of a habitable environment, at least temporarily, on Mars,” said the study’s lead author, Tanja Bosak, professor of geobiology in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric Sciences. and Planetary at MIT as reported. Research FindingsMonday (19/8/2024).

“What we found was that there was a lot of water activity. “How long, we don’t know, but it’s certainly long enough to form this large sediment deposit,” Bosak said.

The importance of these samples cannot be underestimated either. According to co-researcher Benjamin Weiss, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT, these are the oldest rocks that could have been deposited by water.

“The rock is very interesting because it means it is the most promising one that could hold fossils and signs of life,” Weiss said.

Among the water-related minerals found in the samples were carbonates, similar to the minerals that make up coral reefs on Earth. These minerals are of particular interest because they are excellent at preserving signs of ancient life. Some samples also contained sulfates, indicating that some ancient lakes may have been very saline – a condition that may have helped preserve any organic material that may have been present. .

Although the rover has not yet definitively found organic matter in these samples, scientists remain optimistic. The instruments needed to identify small organic traces are too large and complex to be carried by the rover. The real breakthrough happens when the samples are finally returned to Earth for further analysis.

Source: Republic