NASA’s Perseverance collected its 16th rock sample: Berea
%2Favatars%2FBUoTZ6lM79yi.jpg&w=96&q=75)
%2F2023%2F04%2F02%2Fimage%2Fjpeg%2FZ5Pg0lLeOUuA5Vn1OmSPkdI3LBz3KBoiwI94Mi2p.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
NASA’s Perseverance rover was successful in collecting its 16th cored rock sample, called “Berea.” The mission was part of its latest campaign investigating the top of Jezero Crater’s delta: a carbonate-rich rock formed from deposits carried downstream by an ancient river.
“This animation shows NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collecting a rock sample from an outcrop the science team calls “Berea” using a coring bit on the end of its robotic arm. The sample was collected on March 30, 2023, the 749th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The images were taken by one of the rover’s front hazard cameras, “ stated NASA’s press release.
The hope is that scientists will now find fossilized lifeforms that will hold significant information about Mars’ ancient climate. The many different types of samples collected by Perseverance will help scientists to better comprehend the history of Jezero Crater and the water cycle that shaped Mars’ surface and interior.
“A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust),” noted NASA.
“Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.”
Deciphering mysteries
Scientists are trying to uncover the mystery of how Mars’ climate worked back when most of its area was covered with liquid water. This is where carbonates come in.
The rocks form due to chemical interactions in liquid water providing scientists studying them with a long-term record of changes in the planet’s climate. Now NASA’s team hopes the carbonate in the Berea sample could help fill in the gaps that currently puzzle scientists about how Mars evolved.
Since landing on Mars on February 18 2021, Perseverance has had a very productive year. The rover has traveled more than three kilometers across rocky terrain, recorded the first flight on the planet by helicopter, and collected many precious rock samples.
SHOW COMMENT (1)
/2023/03/26/image/jpeg/JN1VahlYXbUOrXY2Qfkk8euy9hseZL2Gxqe9Kj6I.jpg "Capella Space sheds light on 24/7 all-weather Earth observation")
/img/iea/ZKwJ0DBeGM/untitled-3-11.jpg "Let there be light: Award-winning engineer uses unique materials to sculpt lamps")
/2023/05/25/image/jpeg/xbqtdlTTlQ6wFUubr9etkXJZVi8dBYvahuUEjCzI.jpg "This architecture firm is introducing inflatable skyscrapers")
/2023/05/23/image/jpeg/WGiDzBgkMEB3MWU2C2FQaPjsdhaIUwtYZUSBvBiE.jpg "Triangles over circles? YouTuber builds funky cycle with special wheels")
/2023/05/26/image/webp/6Co80ZJJXboUOYLXIuCvkafLsBWpH8MROKX60PUF.webp "Hyper-luxury Bugatti tower will have its residents drive up to their floor")
/2022/12/02/image/jpeg/QJ4NsvQPmnpuFkFZNFoLS8OkRPSiTOJDk7CetaSp.jpg "Redesigned combustion engine could boost performance")
/2023/05/28/image/jpeg/X1sB2puBpxN1VWCWMDkaa7Uwd2FUAdOP6AxTp8T8.jpg "NGAD: The chosen one - US Air Force commits to sole 6th-generation fighter")
/2023/05/18/image/jpeg/gWm8PmQkrvvrIF6xsTiaBhe2MeMRukgrDIyBKi8j.jpg "How about we terraform Venus and Mars at the same time?")
/img/iea/r1Or1zYEwn/timheader.png "Smart roads, wireless EV charging, and the future of American infrastructure")
/2023/05/26/image/jpeg/1JXrkwK7efWVsmu4aRFf4fdD1Ptufo7ZAU7UMPLd.jpg "US Carrier Strike Group can be countered with 24 hypersonic missiles, China claim")