Perseverance May Have Collected Ancient Water In First Mars Sample

Perseverance May Have Collected Ancient Water In First Mars Sample

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Just a few days after sealing its first samples of Mars rock, the Perseverance rover may have collected evidence of ancient Martian water.

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Perseverance May Have Collected Ancient Water In First Mars Sample

After collecting its initial Mars samples, NASA’s Perseverance rover may be one step closer to finding signs of ancient life on the planet. The hunt for life on Mars is one that’s fascinated people for years. This is true of space exploration in general, but Mars has been an especially strong focal point. It’s fairly close to Earth, science fiction often depicts Martians living on the planet, and many scientists believe it could have been home to certain lifeforms billions of years ago.

So, is there really life on Mars? That’s a question NASA’s trying to answer with its Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. The duo landed on Mars this past February with a mission to “seek signs of ancient life” throughout the Red Planet. Along with taking gorgeous photos and exploring fascinating new areas, Perseverance recently took a huge step forward in this mission by collecting its first two rock samples — one on September 6 and the other on September 8. After acquiring the samples and having a couple of days to analyze them, the team at NASA is already encouraged by what secrets they may hold.

The Perseverance Twitter account (which has been documenting all of the rover’s journies) shared that these first rock samples are likely volcanic in their origin. Furthermore, the rocks have “hints of salts that may hold bubbles of ancient water.” Scientists largely agree that Mars once had liquid water, and if there really is evidence of water in these rocks, NASA may be able to answer some of Mars’ most pressing questions.

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What These Mars Rock Samples Could Reveal

Looking at the very first rock collected on September 6, NASA says the crystalline minerals created by the volcanic makeup are extremely helpful for “radiometric dating.” If NASA can figure out when the rock was formed, that then acts as an important puzzle piece in understanding how key events played out on Mars. As more samples like this are collected, NASA believes it could answer how the Jezero Crater was created, when and why the Jezereo lake emerged and disappeared, etc.

The discovered salts and bubbles are equally as exciting — if not more so. It’s possible the salts in the rock samples originated when Mars had active groundwater flowing through the planet. What’s more likely, however, is that they got there as water was evaporating from Mars. Whatever the case, the bubbles potentially trapped inside this salt could very well hold real Martian water. If they do, NASA says they could “serve as microscopic time capsules, offering clues about the ancient climate and habitability of Mars.” Here’s why all of this is so amazing. Scientists already believed the Jezero Crater was once filled with water. However, one possibility was that it was simply flooded and only had liquid water for as short as 50 years. Because of what’s been seen so far with these samples, NASA now believes groundwater was present throughout the Jezero Crater “for a long time.” Whether that water was there for “tens of thousands or for millions of years,” it was likely long enough for microscopic life to exist there.

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If this all sounds like a big deal, that’s because it is. Commenting on these discoveries, Mitch Schulte from the NASA Headquarters says, “These samples have high value for future laboratory analysis back on Earth. One day, we may be able to work out the sequence and timing of the environmental conditions that this rock’s minerals represent. This will help answer the big-picture science question of the history and stability of liquid water on Mars.” It won’t be until at least 2031 before any of these samples return to Earth, but once they do, scientists will have a treasure trove of information to dig into.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/perseverance-mars-rover-rock-sample-ancient-water-nasa/

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