Friday, 15 December 2023 | 15:32 WIB
Choke Citra Elfira / TCE
The Jazero Crater on the planet Mars found evidence of the presence of water. (NASA Doc)
Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Perseverance rover has just revealed new details about the history of ancient lakes and river deltas on the planet Mars.
It is hoped that this discovery will help scientists find out whether life once existed there. Perseverance and its friend, the Ingenuity helicopter, landed in Mars’ Jezero Crater on February 18 2021 with the aim of looking for traces of ancient microbial life.
As part of this mission, the rover recently completed its investigation of the river delta that once flowed into the lake in Jezero Crater billions of years ago.
During its journey, Perseverance also managed to collect 23 rock samples from various places in the crater and delta.
Each of these samples, the size of a chalk and is encased in a metal tube will be sent back to Earth via the Mars Sample Return operation involving the European Space Agency (ESA).
The following are the facts about the Perseverance rover mission, quoted from CNN International, Friday (15/12/2023).
Finding Traces of Water on Mars
Perseverance collected samples using an abrasion tool on its arm, scraping the surface of Martian rock, and then analyzing the rock composition using the planetary instrument for x-ray lithochemistry (PIXL).
Some of the latest rock samples collected by Perseverance contain silica nicknamed lefroy’s bay, a fine-grained mineral that helps preserve fossils, and organic molecules. Organic molecules may provide further clues about the mysterious history of Mars.
“On Earth, it is this fine-grained silica that you often find in locations that were previously sandy. “This is the type of environment where the remains of ancient life can be preserved and discovered at a later date,” said PIXL deputy principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Morgan Cable.
Some rocks also contain iron containing phosphate and are called otis peaks. It is a natural source of the element phosphorus which acts as a component of DNA and cell membranes. Carbonates were also detected in the samples.
The minerals indicate a water-rich past environment, acting like a time capsule for environmental conditions on Mars since the rocks first formed.
“We chose Jezero Crater as the landing site because orbital imagery shows a delta, (which is) clear evidence that a large lake once filled the crater,” explained Perseverance scientist and professor of geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, Ken Farley.
“Lakes are potentially habitable environments, and delta rocks are great environments for preserving signs of ancient life as fossils in the geological record. “After thorough exploration, we collected the geological history of the crater, mapping the lake and river phases from beginning to end,” he added.
Martian Rocks Reveal Interesting Stories
In addition, scientists believe the Jezero Crater on Mars was formed about 4 billion years ago due to an asteroid impact. Perseverance began its mission by studying and taking samples from the crater floor immediately after landing.
Through its work, this rover helps scientists conclude that the bottom of the crater consists of volcanic rock formed due to magma activity on the surface of Mars.
As Perseverance explored further, it found samples of sandstone and mudstone. This suggests the river flowed into the crater millions of years after it formed.
Only the top layer of mudstone remains and is filled with salt, indicating a shallow lake once filled the crater. The lake was about 35 kilometers wide and up to 30 meters deep, before climate change caused the lake to dry up.
“We have ideal conditions to find signs of ancient life. “We found carbonates and phosphates, which indicate a watery and habitable environment, as well as silica that is very well preserved,” said scientist Libby Ives.
Perseverance’s mission is not over, it will study the area near the crater entrance where it is claimed that a river once flooded the bottom of the crater, leaving behind carbonate deposits that resembled a bathtub ring.
2023-12-15 08:32:00
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