A team of scientists from NASA’s Perseverance mission has collected the first samples of water-altered Martian rocks that could be transported to Earth, providing the first step toward learning whether the Red Planet ever harbored life. in ‘Science’ magazine. rock samples come from the floor of the Jezero crater, that was chosen as the place of study because it has a large river delta that in its day flowed into an ancient lake.
Scientists believe that an aquatic Mars could have supported life billions of years ago. “These types of environments in the Earth are places where life thrives. The goal of exploring the Jezero delta and crater is to search these once-inhabitable environments for rocks that may contain evidence of ancient life,” explains astrobiologist and professor of geology at the University of Florida (United States) Amy Williams, one of long-range planners for NASA’s Perseverance mission and helps decide where to send the rover and which tests and samples to prioritize.
The rover is exploring the river delta to collect more rock samples for the Mars Sample Return mission. Led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Perseverance touched down at the bottom of Jezero Crater in February 2021. Since then, scientists have explored the geological composition of the crater floor using a suite of tools aboard the spacecraft. rover that can take photos and analyze the chemical composition of rocks, as well as see their structure underground.
The scientific team discovered that the crater floor had eroded more than expected. The erosion uncovered a crater composed of rocks formed by lava and magma, known as igneous rocks. Scientists originally expected that sedimentary rocks from lakes or deltas would lie on top of these igneous rocks. It is likely that the softer sedimentary rocks They will wear down over the centuries, leaving behind the more resistant igneous rocks.
The rocks that scientists analyzed and stored to return to Earth have been altered by water, further evidence of an aquatic past on Mars. “We have organisms on Earth that live in very similar rock types,” Williams recalls. “And aqueous alteration of minerals has the potential to record biosignatures.”
NASA and the European Space Agency plan to return the rock samples to Earth around 2033. The ambitious plan requires the construction of the first vehicle that can launch from the surface of Mars and rendezvous with an orbiter that transports the samples back to Earth.
The reward for this task will be very detailed studies of rock samples that cannot be carried out on the rover. These studies include measuring the age of rocks and looking for signs of ancient life. Since the rock samples taken from the bottom of the crater probably predate the river delta, dating these rocks will provide important information about the age of the lake. “I’m excited about what comes next,” says Williams.