By Satya Mouktika
Perseverance- or Percy- was launched by Nasa on July 20th, 2020 to operate on Mars. Mankind’s ongoing search for alien life on the Red Planet could earn some closure with the 24th sample taken by the rover on July 23rd, 2024.
Cheyava Falls- the revolutionary rock
The rover stumbled upon a reddish brown, coffee-table-sized rock dappled with what is described as ‘tri-coloured leopard spots.’ This rock was nicknamed Cheyava Falls and was located in the center of what was once the delta of the ancient Martian river- Neretva Vallis. Previously, scientists at NASA have confirmed that Mars once housed a multitude of water bodies and was encased in a thick atmosphere that depleted over time. Deputy scientist of the project Katie Stack Morgan says that this may be the most “promising piece of evidence” of life on Mars.
A visual analysis of the rock
The red spots on the surface might be due to iron in the form of hematite (an iron ore). Furthermore, there are white calcium sulfate stripes that have olivine spots on them. Olivine is a mineral found in magma. The veins of calcium sulfate confirm that water once ran between the rock. Additionally, the ‘leopard spots’ are also calcium sulfate, encircled with a border of iron phosphate. These leopard spots can host chemical reactions that can provide energy to microbiomes. These factors mimic those of mudstone- a sedimentary rock. Mudstone, when on the river or seabeds, is exposed to water, which allows it to host microbiomes. This is summed up by Morgan Cable, a scientist at Nasa, in this video.
Although these discoveries can bring about commotion and excitement in the science community, we must keep in mind that at the end of the day, no solid conclusion can be made unless the sample itself is investigated. In fact, NASA themselves have said that this is only one step out of a seven-step process that astrobiologists follow to confirm a biological signature. For this reason, NASA is bringing back a tiny sample of Chevaya falls back to Earth to analyze it.
SOURCES:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/. (n.d.). NASA’s Perseverance Rover scientists find intriguing Mars rock. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-scientists-find-intriguing-mars-rock
Billings, L. (2024, July 26). NASA’s Perseverance Rover discovers a rock that may contain alien microfossils. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-perseverance-rover-discovers-a-rock-that-may-contain-alien
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