REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Explorer Perseverance owned by NASA was investigating Jezero Crater and discovered rock samples from an ancient beach. This is an exciting finding for scientists investigating the history of water, and potential evidence of past microbial life, on Mars.
The rover drilled an interesting piece of rock on March 11. The rock is called Bunsen Peak and the pencil-sized chunk released by the rover is called Comet Geyser. Both are named after natural features found in Wyoming.
“Simply put, these are the types of rocks we expected to find when we decided to investigate Jezero Crater,” said Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley in a NASA statement on April 3, reported Forbes, Tuesday (9/4/2024).
Comet Geyser was the 24th sample Percy collected on Mars. The samples are sealed into small tubes.
Perseverance is a rotating laboratory. The rover analyzed the rock with on-board instruments and found that it was likely “submerged in water for a long period of time in the past.”
Jezero Crater was once home to a large lake, which made it a prime spot for robotic exploration. Water is associated with life as we know it on Earth, so NASA is interested in studying areas that were once watery on Mars.
NASA released a short video discussing the findings. Geologist Samantha Gwzid said it was still a mystery what this rock actually was.
“There are interesting textures that may be consistent with igneous or sedimentary rocks,” Gwzid said.
Igneous rocks originate from volcanoes, while sedimentary rocks are often associated with water processes. Scientists are working to solve this puzzle about Bunsen Peak.
So far, data suggests the rock may have formed along the lakeshore. “Almost all of the minerals in the rocks we just sampled are made from water; on Earth, minerals stored in water are often good at trapping and preserving ancient organic materials and biosignatures,” Farley said.
Investigations carried out by explorers show that Bunsen Peak consists of carbonate grains cemented by silica. The composition, structure and age of these rocks make them prime candidates for harboring evidence of microbial life from the planet’s aquatic past.
NASA has big plans for Perseverance’s rock collection through its proposed Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. The idea is to send a spacecraft to Mars, pick up some sample tubes and then bring them back to Earth for closer study.
MSR is hampered by budget problems, but the rover is still collecting samples from various places around the crater. Comet Geyser could be the crown jewel in that collection.
Explorer Mars NASA continues to send back lots of new data about the red planet. They are uncovering the history of water on the planet and are involved in one of the space agency’s primary missions, namely the search for life, current or past, beyond Earth.
Comet Geyser is an argument in favor of the expensive and challenging MSR mission. Percy’s instruments can only carry science so far.
Scientists hope to study these samples directly on Earth. Until then, Comet Geyser and its parent rock, Bunsen Peak, may remain an enigma.
2024-04-09 08:17:52
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