Rock samples from the Jezero crater analyzed by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover show evidence of liquid water and signatures that could be organic compounds. Analyses of multiple rocks found at the bottom of Jezero Crater on Mars, where the Perseverance rover landed in 2020, has revealed significa
Imperial College LondonProfessor Mark Sephton, from the Imperial College London Department of Earth Science & Engineering, is a member of the science team who took part in rover operations on Mars and considered the implications of the results. He said: “I hope that one day these samples could be returned to Earth so that we can look at the evidence of water and possible organic matter, and explore whether conditions were right for life in the early history of Mars.
However, the crater floor, where the rover landed for safety reasons before traveling to the delta, was more of a mystery. In lake beds, the researchers expected to find sedimentary rocks, because the water deposits layer after layer of sediment. However, when the rover touched down there, some researchers were surprised to findwith minerals in them that recorded not just igneous processes but significant contact with water.
Mounted on the rover’s robotic arm, SHERLOC is equipped with a number of tools, including a Raman spectrometer that uses a specific type of fluorescence to search for organic compounds and also see how they are distributed in a material, providing insight into how they were preserved in that location.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA's Perseverance rover opens a window to Mars' watery pastBriley Lewis (she/her) is a freelance science writer and Ph.D. Candidate/NSF Fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles studying Astronomy & Astrophysics. Follow her on Twitter briles_34 or visit her website www.briley-lewis.com.
Read more »
Life on Mars? Scientists confirm that Mars' Jezero Crater was full of organic materialsThe search continues for signs of ancient alien life on the red planet.
Read more »
Signs of past chemical reactions detected on MarsThe Perseverance rover landed in the Jezero crater in 2021 and has already found some clues to the planet's past.
Read more »
Mars rover documentary 'Good Night Oppy' now streaming on Prime Video'Good Night Oppy' finally arrives on Amazon's Prime Video streaming service on Wednesday (Nov. 23), just in time for holiday viewing over the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.
Read more »
Europe’s first Mars rover mission saved by major investmentThe ExoMars programme was imperilled after the European Space Agency cut ties with its former partner Russia.
Read more »