Just a week ago, we reported on how NASA’s Curiosity robot made an important discovery on Mars: By chance, the rover found pure sulfur hidden in a rock.
On July 21, 2024, another robot, according to NASA made a discovery that may be even more important: signs of possible life on Mars. The name of the rock is “Cheyava Falls.”
Why is this discovery so special?
- The place where the stone was foundveins of calcium sulfate indicate that water once flowed through the rock.
- Organic compounds based on hydrocarbon compounds were found in the rock.
- Chemical reactionthat created spots in the rock could be an energy source for microbial life.
In this short clip, a NASA scientist summarizes these facts again.
Link to YouTube content
The analyses on board Perseverance showthat the rock has all the properties that meet the definition of ancient life. Chemical signatures and structures should provide information about whether there was life on Mars billions of years ago.
However, this is not yet definitive proof of life. The research team wants to first examine the rock sample in detail on Earth.
Nevertheless, the scientists are enthusiastic. Ken Farley, scientist of the Perseverance project at Caltech in Pasadena, says:
Cheyava Falls is the most enigmatic, complex, and potentially important rock yet studied by Perseverance.
The researchers have clear evidence that the place where the rock is located is a riverbed. Water is the basic requirement for life. Beyond that, it is not (yet) possible to say how the rock was formed or what led to its properties.
Why the location is so right
Searching for signs of ancient microbial life The Perseverance mission focuses on rocks that may have been formed or altered long ago by the presence of water.
As mentioned above, Cheyava Falls is located at the bottom of a riverbed. Perseverance took the 22nd rock sample while exploring the northern corner of the Neretva Valley.
Neretva Vallis is an ancient river valley of about 400 meters wide, which was dug by water into the Jezero crater a long time ago.
The route was chosen especially for the rover because scientists expected particularly interesting discoveries there – and they were right.
A possible scenario for Cheyava Falls isthat mud was deposited there, which eventually fossilized over time. Later, a second flow of fluid penetrated the rock and allowed mineral deposits to form, resulting in the large white calcium sulfate veins and patches visible in the valley.
NASA is already searching for more life in space and is planning a mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.
Research results on Earth will have to show what Cheyava Falls is ultimately made up of. It is certain that there was once water on Mars – and now we have possible evidence of life, albeit only microscopically small. It is not yet clear when the rock sample will find its way back to our planet.