NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has made a groundbreaking discovery – indications of possible ancient life on Mars. During its exploration of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley, the rover encountered a peculiar, arrow-shaped rock called "Cheyava Falls" that might contain fossilized microbes from Mars' watery past billions of years ago.
On July 21, Perseverance successfully drilled into the enigmatic rock, collecting a core sample that will be eventually returned to Earth for further analysis. Dubbed the "most puzzling, complex, and potentially important rock" investigated so far, Cheyava Falls holds three compelling clues.
Firstly, white calcium sulfate veins present in the rock suggest the flow of water throughout its history. Secondly, a reddish middle area between these veins reveals the presence of organic compounds, identified by the rover's SHERLOC instrument, designed to search for organics and chemicals in potentially habitable environments. Finally, in off-white splotches resembling leopard spots, surrounded by a black ring, the rover's PIXL instrument detected chemicals that indicate potential energy sources for ancient microbes.
Similar features have been discovered on Earth, often associated with the fossilized record of subsurface microbial life. However, in order to confirm the existence of ancient Martian life, the rock samples collected by Perseverance will need to be returned to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return Program, a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency scheduled for the 2030s.
While alternative explanations for these findings exist, the prospect of uncovering actual fossilized microbes in the core sample is tantalizing. If confirmed, it would mark the first concrete evidence of extraterrestrial life.
Perseverance has employed various techniques, including lasers, X-rays, and thorough imaging from multiple angles, to extensively analyze the rock. However, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Martian river valley in Jezero Crater billions of years ago, the examination of the Cheyava Falls sample in sophisticated laboratory settings on Earth becomes essential.
NASA's mission to unravel the mysteries of ancient Martian life continues, and the successful return of the core sample might pave the way for revolutionary insights into the existence of life beyond our planet.
Earlier, SSP wrote about the discovery revealed black hole concealed at the core of the Milky Way.