The US Mars rover ‘Perseverance’ has discovered organic molecules that are likely traces of ancient microbes.
This is not the first time organic matter has been discovered on Mars, but it is considered to be very promising as it comes from the sedimentary rocks of the ancient delta that were the most abundant and the conditions for life to appear.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the 15th, the Perseverance spacecraft discovered sedimentary rocks 1m wide during exploration of an ancient delta formed around 3.5 billion years ago when rivers flowed into the lake.
The rock, dubbed ‘Wildcat Ridge’, is thought to have formed billions of years ago when mud and small sand mixed with salty water evaporated. was harvested
Then, on July 20, the 2m-long robot arm was used to grind the surface of the rock that had undergone weathering, and then on-site analysis was carried out using the organic material and mineral scanning equipment ‘SHERLOC’ mounted on the rotating plate at the end of the robot arm. .
As a result, organic molecules called ‘aromatic hydrocarbons’ that play a major role in biochemistry were identified.
Organic molecules are formed by combining various atoms, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, as well as hydrogen and oxygen around carbon.
Previously, the NASA rover ‘Curiosity’ discovered evidence of organic matter in rock dust in 2013, and perseverance also found organic molecules during crater exploration as an example, but not as many as this time.
“The sand, mud and salt that made Wildcat Ridge long ago accumulated under conditions that might have thrived,” said Perseverance Project scientist Ken Farley. Facts are important.”
But he said, “The performance of the equipment aboard the Perseverance is not so good that we have to wait for the results of in-depth analysis by bringing it back to Earth through the ‘Mars Sample Recovery’ mission to draw more specific conclusions regarding what’s in the Wildcat Ridge sample. ” he added.
The date of retrieval of Mars samples, which NASA is pursuing with the European Space Agency (ESA), is scheduled for early 2030.
Professor David Schuster of the University of California, Berkeley, who participates in the Mars sample recovery program, said: “It’s fair to say that these samples (from Wildcat Ridge) are the most valuable and will continue to be the case.”
The Perseverance spacecraft, which landed on a crater as an example of an ancient lake on Mars in February last year, moved to a place believed to be an ancient delta following completing the first scientific exploration of the area believed to be the crater bottom and moved to a place believed to be an ancient delta on July 7. The second scientific expedition is in progress. During the first scientific expedition, igneous rocks formed by volcanic activity or flowing out of magma from deep underground were discovered, but now sedimentary rocks are being discovered reflecting the characteristics of ancient deltas.
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