![]() ![]() (Organic molecules form by both geological and biological processes.) These rocks were also abundant with silica, a material that’s excellent at preserving organic molecules, including those related to life. To decide which samples to collect, Perseverance first uses an abrasion tool to wear away a patch of a prospective rock and then studies the rock’s chemistry using precision science instruments, including the JPL-built Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry, or PIXL.Īt a target the team calls “Bills Bay,” PIXL spotted carbonates – minerals that form in watery environments with conditions that might be favorable for preserving organic molecules. Water entered the crater billions of years ago, forming a lake, delta, and rivers before the Red Planet dried up. This animated artist’s concept depicts water breaking through the rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater, which NASA’s Perseverance rover is now exploring. Bringing the tubes to Earth would enable scientists to study the samples with powerful lab equipment too large to take to Mars. The samples Perseverance gathers are about as big as a piece of classroom chalk and are stored in special metal tubes as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a joint effort by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). “We were able to see a broad outline of these chapters in Jezero’s history in orbital images, but it required getting up close with Perseverance to really understand the timeline in detail,” said Libby Ives, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission. Later, fast-flowing water carried in boulders from outside Jezero, distributing them atop of the delta and elsewhere in the crater. ![]() The team thinks the lake eventually grew as wide as 22 miles (35 kilometers) in diameter and as deep as 100 feet (30 meters). Above these rocks are salt-rich mudstones, signaling the presence of a shallow lake experiencing evaporation. They have since found sandstone and mudstone, signaling the arrival of the first river in the crater hundreds of millions of years later. After Perseverance landed in February 2021, the mission team discovered the crater floor is made of igneous rock formed from magma underground or from volcanic activity at the surface. To avoid getting bogged down in the dust, a fate that befell the rover Spirit in 2009, the vehicles will spin in place.Īnd just so you're aware of exactly what everyone is using the internet for, the offending image created such a buzz on Reddit, the NASA server temporarily crashed.Jezero formed from an asteroid impact almost 4 billion years ago. If you're wondering how such a pattern emerged, rest assured there isn't some giggling college intern behind the joy stick on this one.Īccording to Science World Report, the Mars rovers are programmed to constantly explore the surface of Mars. More from GlobalPost: Yours for the taking: a one-way ticket to Mars ![]() Naturally, they had to share, and millions of views later we have a "giant penis" in the dust of Mars. ![]() Those keen-eyed erudites at Reddit discovered something while sifting through the thousands of images coming back from Mars thanks to the rovers exploring the red planet. Perhaps the action sci-fi movie about a Martian war needed less phallic images if we're to believe our browsers today. We knew " John Carter" was a flop for Disney, and now we know why. ![]()
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