The analysis of the first rock drilled by the Perseverance rover on Mars, Rochette, shows signs of traces of salts and water , as reported by NASA, elements that would indicate that, indeed, there may be extraterrestrial life on our neighboring red planet.
Samples extracted by the Perseverance rover may contain evidence of ancient water bubbles, as they have discovered that these rocks from the Jezero crater included salt minerals, which can reveal information about the ancient climate and habitability of Mars billions of years ago. , and might even preserve evidence of ancient Martian life.
The samples were collected by the Perseverance rover on September 6 and 8, nicknamed Montdenier and Montagnac from a rock in Jezero crater, the site of an ancient lake more than 3 billion years ago (when conditions on Mars were much warmer and humid compared to today, as Mars was still geologically active) and just north of the planet’s equator. Both samples, slightly wider than a pencil in diameter and about six centimeters long, are stored in sealed tubes inside the rover.
“Because these rocks had such high scientific potential, we decided to acquire two samples here,” said Katie Stack Morgan, associate scientist for the Perseverance project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA. .
The rock that provided the first samples was basaltic in composition and probably the product of lava flows. Volcanic rocks contain crystalline minerals that are useful in radiometric dating. The salt minerals in these first two rock cores may have also trapped tiny bubbles of ancient Martian water. If present, they could serve as microscopic time capsules , offering clues to the ancient climate and habitability of Mars. Salt is also known on Earth for its ability to preserve signs of ancient life, which, in turn, could help scientists build a more detailed picture of the geological history of the area, such as when it was formed the crater, when the lake appeared and disappeared, and how the climate changed over time.
“It appears that our first rocks reveal a potentially habitable sustained environment,” continues Ken Farley, mission project scientist. “It’s a big problem that the water has been there for a long time.”
These two rock samples show that groundwater was probably present for quite some time in the area. The salt minerals within the rocks are the product of the alteration of the rocks over the years. They could have been formed when groundwater changed the original minerals within the lava rock or when the water evaporated and left the salts behind. It appears that the water was present long enough to create a habitable environment where ancient microbial life could have thrived.
The first data obtained in this part of the project therefore bodes well for the Perseverance mission. We will see what new surprises he has in store for us. For now, the rover will collect more than 30 samples that will be returned to Earth in multiple missions within the Mars Sample Return , scheduled for 2031.
The more samples Perseverance collects, the more likely scientists will be able to complete the Martian puzzle that answers the question: did life ever exist on Mars?
