NASA's Perseverance rover comes across countless Martian rocks during its journies, and the robot just found a new one that could hold fascinating details about Mars' rich history. Among all the planets in the Solar System, Mars has become the focal point for countless scientists and astronomers. Be it the planet's close proximity to Earth or the belief that it was once home to life; it's a destination humans are constantly trying to learn more about.
Much of this work has fallen on the shoulders of advanced robotics. NASA's sent numerous robots to Mars over the years — ranging from rovers, orbiters, probes, etc. One of the most noteworthy is Perseverance. Since landing on Mars in February 2021, Perseverance has helped NASA tremendously with its continued Mars exploration. Perseverance has explored new areas of the planet, taken thousands of stunning photos, and collected rock samples that'll eventually be returned to Earth. It's far from the only robot uncovering mysteries on the Red Planet, but it's certainly one of the most talked-about.
On November 4, the Perseverance Twitter account shared two pictures of a particularly eye-catching rock formation. The first photo shows the rock from a distance. It has very distinct layers, sand all around it, and smaller rocks above. The second photo shows that layered rock in much greater detail — highlighting the fine texture in its layers and how they're all distinctly different from one another. It's undoubtedly a gorgeous formation, but being photogenic isn't all the rock has going for it.
Why NASA Is Interested In This Martian Rock
Accompanying these images, the Perseverance Twitter account Tweeted, "Layered rocks like this often form in water, and can hold clues about what their environment used to be like." The Tweet also says that Perseverance is getting out its abrading tool to dig into the rock and look inside of it. If the rock turns out to be a good candidate, Perseverance will collect a sample from within, seal it in a special tube, and prepare it to be sent back to Earth so scientists can more closely study it.
This is ultimately the main purpose of Perseverance. As fun as it is to look at all the new pictures the rover is capturing, it was sent to Mars to do just this — collect rock samples that hold key details about Mars' environment and possible signs of ancient life. Humans have yet to find any evidence that life ever existed on the planet, but if it did, Perseverance is the rover NASA believes will uncover those secrets.
Source: NASA