The sample shows that the rock has been in contact with water.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, FLORIDA — The US Space Agency’s (NASA) Mars rover Perseverance has now collected two rock samples. These rock samples have signs that they have been in contact with water for long periods of time. This evidence raises suspicions of ancient life on the Red Planet.
“It looks like our first rock reveals a potentially habitable sustainable environment. It’s a big problem that the water has been there for such a long time,” said Ken Farley, project scientist for the mission. Phys, Monday (13/9).
The six-wheeled robot collected its first sample, named “Montdenier” on September 6, and a second sample, “Montagnac” from the same rock on September 8.
Both samples, slightly wider than a pencil in diameter and about six centimeters long. The sample is now stored in a sealed tube on the inside of the rover.
The first attempt to collect samples in early August failed after the rock proved too brittle to withstand the Perseverance drills.
The rover has been operating in a region known as Jezero Crater, just north of the equator. The Jazero Crater was home to a lake 3.5 billion years ago, when conditions on Mars were much warmer and wetter than they are today.
The rock that provided the first samples was found to be of basaltic composition and is likely a product of lava flows. Volcanic rocks contain crystalline minerals that aid in radiometric dating.
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