NASA robot discovers 'organic treasure' on Mars

While exploring the arid river delta on Mars, the Perseverance rover collected rock samples rich in organic matter.

Perseverance robot simulation looking for signs of ancient life on Mars.

After 18 months of searching for traces of ancient life on the red planet, NASA's Perseverance rover has collected nearly half of the planned number of rock samples, some of which contain organic matter or particles. Carbon-containing atoms are considered by many to be the building blocks of life.

In a statement on September 15, Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley at the California Institute of Technology said the rocks they were studying in Jezero Crater, which could be a lake and delta Rivers more than 3.5 billion years ago, had the highest concentrations of organic matter they found during the mission.

The probe robot has taken measurements and samples in an area called Skinner Ridge made up of layers of sedimentary rock, some of which contain materials that were most likely transported hundreds of kilometers away. running water billions of years ago.

Perseverance uses a robotic arm to inspect the Skinner Ridge cliff.

These layers of sedimentary rock contain complex organic molecules called aromatics, as well as clays and sulfate minerals, which can be produced when water interacts with the rock. While none of the materials are definitely signs of life, finding them means scientists are looking in the right place.

"This is really important because it shows that the sedimentary rock here has a high potential for conservation of biological properties, which means that if there were biomarkers in the vicinity when the rock was formed, this is the exact same thing." It's exactly the kind of material that will keep what we're looking for when rock samples are returned to Earth," researcher David Shuster at the University of California, Berkeley, told a news conference.

Discoveries of organic matter on Mars increased during the exploration of the Jezero crater by the Perseverance robot. "Organic matter is a clue to find potential signs of life on another planet. We have more and more powerful clues as we go on with our campaign," said scientist Sunanda Sharma at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory highlighted.

However, it is likely that we will not find "sure signs" of life on Mars until rock samples collected by Perseverance are brought back to Earth on a mission scheduled to take place next year. 2028.