Grazie al braccio del robot Perseverance gli scienziati della Nasa hanno trovato delle rocce laviche che indicano la presenza di vita antica su Marte
Dopo un anno di ricerca oggi è arrivata la conferma: le rocce prelevate da Perseverance sul cratere Jazero sono di origine vulcanica. Si tratta di una scoperta dal forte valore scientifico perché consente di indagare sulla presenza di forme di vita su Marte. Infatti la lava emessa dai vulcani contiene un sale in grado di favorire le condizioni per lo sviluppo di microorganismi e batteri. Examining the samples taken, NASA researchers have established that over the years the rocks have interacted with water, since some contain organic molecules.
In short, a revelation that represents a significant step for the study of Mars and Space.
All the stages of research
Jazero is a crater rich in clay on Mars and since July 30, 2020 NASA, through Perseverance, is studying all aspects. Driving the robot, scientists noticed a large hole and wondered what was the origin and so they took action to examine the only elements, namely rocks.
The extraction, however, was quite complicated. In fact, last August, the team of Nasa scientists had tried to recover stones present in the Jazero crater, but the attempt was unsuccessful because the rock turned out to be fragile. So they retried in February 2020 and, maneuvering the robot, the scientists took other stones to be examined.
At first, the researchers thought that it was sedimentary material, that is, coming from the fractures of rocks, but further investigation disproved the thesis. In fact, the rocky material has been analyzed the arm of Perseverance to technologies PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) that drilling the stones has detected crystals of olivine origin present in the magma.
The value of the discovery
For scientists the rocks indicate that millennia ago on Mars there was a volcano and has often erupted. The shape also confirms the volcanic origin, as all samples measure less than 10 centimeters. The rock has been named BRAC but to establish the exact period of collocation need further investigation.
Matteo Melani