NASA rover found a rock on Mars that shouldn’t be there

It has a unique shape, but what makes the rock somewhat strange, considering its geological surroundings, is its composition: being rich in iron and nickel suggests that it did not always live on Mars, being in fact a meteorite that crashed on the planet at some point in the past.

More than five years after the start of its mission, the rover Perseverance of NASA continues to roam the surface of the red planet, doing what any five-year-old child loves to do – stopping to observe every stone on your way.

One of his most recent discoveries, however, appears to be surprisingly out of placewhich leads scientists to question whether it even originates on Mars.

Found in the Vernodden area of ​​Jezero Crater, the 80-centimeter-wide rock was named Phippsaksla. NASA released two photographs that show it up close and from a slightly greater distance.

What makes Phippsaksla something strange in your neighborhood geological is its composition: being rich in iron and nickel suggests that Didn’t always live on Marsactually being a meteorite that crashed onto the planet at some point in the past.

Much less common than their rocky cousins, iron-nickel meteorites typically form from the cores of large asteroidscreated when heavy minerals deposited in the heart of heated rocks in the early Solar System.

NASA scientists first noticed the rock because of its unique shape. Looks bigger and stands taller than others in its surroundings, with a curiously carved.

With an attractive new target in its sights, Perseverance took some photos using one of the advanced Mastcam-Z cameras attached to its mast, says .

The rover used its SuperCam instrument’s lasers and spectrometers (which measure wavelengths of light) to analyze Phippsaksla’s chemistry, providing a clear measurement of its iron and nickel content.

Although Phippsaksla may be a distant visitor from outer spacethe presence of this rock in the Vernodden area of ​​the Jezero crater may nevertheless not be completely unexpected.

Iron-nickel meteorites have already been found elsewhere on Marsmaking it somewhat surprising that Perseverance has not found one until now.

Further analysis will be needed to confirm that this is indeed a meteorite landed on the surface of Mars, but if so, it is yet another Significant debut for Perseverance – and one that gives us more clues about the red planet and its history.

Perseverance, which uses an onboard drill, is the first rover to collect samples of Martian rocks. One built-in miniature laboratory on the rover then allows researchers to take a closer look at these samples and identify their origins.

If NASA decides it’s worth bringing a piece of Phippsaksla back to Earth, samples can be saved for future transport. Unfortunately, Perseverance can’t send any of its rock collection back to Earth without help: we will need another ship to get the samples.

Perseverance has achieved a lot since landing on Mars in February 2021. It has traveled through ancient lake beds, turned CO₂ into oxygen, discovered fascinating rocks on the surface, including even strange ones, and found ancient rocks on the planet.

The rover managed to give us a close-up view of some of the features of the Martian landscape – including volcanoes – which is not possible with telescopes here on Earth, no matter how advanced they are now.

Perseverance even established a nrecord egg for road trips on another planet, and there’s likely much more to come from the intrepid explorer.

There is no set date for the end of your missionwhich means this brave little rock enthusiast can keep finding new rocks to share for a little while longer.