NASA’s Persistence rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from facilities within a region long considered by scientists as a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. doing.
It detected the highest concentration yet of organic molecules in a possible sign of ancient microbes that scientists are eager to confirm when rock samples are finally brought to Earth.
The rover has collected four samples from an ancient river delta in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater since July 7, bringing the total number of scientifically compelling rock samples to 12.
While organic material has been found on the Red Planet before, the new discovery is considered particularly promising because it came from an area where sediments and salts were deposited in a lake – conditions where life could have arisen.
“It’s very fair to say that these are going to be, these are already the most valuable rock samples that have been collected so far,” David Shuster, a persistence return sampling scientist, told reporters during a briefing.
Organic molecules – compounds composed primarily of carbon that usually include hydrogen and oxygen, but sometimes other elements as well – are not always created by biological processes.
Further analysis and conclusions will have to wait for the Mars Sample Return mission – a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to bring back rocks scheduled for 2033.
Nicknamed Percy, the rover landed at Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021, working with caching samples that may contain signs of ancient life, as well as characterizing the planet’s geology and past climate.
The delta it is exploring was formed 3.5 billion years ago. The rover is currently examining sedimentary rocks, which came from particles of different sizes that settled in the then-water environment.
Percy took two samples from a rock called “Wildcat Ridge,” which is about three feet (one meter) wide, and eroded some of its surface on July 20 so that it could be analyzed with an instrument called SHERLOC that measures ultraviolet radiation. Uses light.
The results showed a class of organic molecules, called aromatics, play an important role in biochemistry.
“It’s a treasure hunt for possible signs of life on another planet,” NASA astronomer Sunanda Sharma said.
“Organic matter is a clue and we are getting stronger and stronger clues… I personally find these results so dynamic because it seems that we are in the right place, with the right tools, a very important moment. In.”
This has previously yielded other tantalizing clues about the possibility of life on Mars, including the repeated detection of methane by Curiosity’s predecessor, Perseverance.
While methane is a digestive byproduct of microbes here on Earth, it can also be generated by geothermal reactions where there is no biology.
(with inputs from AFP)
catch all business News, market news, today’s fresh news events and breaking news Updates on Live Mint. download mint news app To get daily market updates.