Perseverance remains in understanding Mars’ lake

In the image you can see a shape similar to an anthill on the sandy surface, but in fact it is a recently formed hole rover opportunity To extract a rock sample from the soil of Mars. There is also a list that carefully explains the type of rock and the time when it was collected. via NASA page Perseverance Mission, Our eyes can practically immerse themselves in the hole carved into the surface of Mars as if it were an extension of the rover that arrived three years ago to explore the surface of the Red Planet.

Over the years, scientists have specialized in their role geologists Virtual field survey, taking advantage of years of knowledge to select the best ways to investigate the Martian terrain using “eyes” robotic And even translating scientific complexity into data accessible to any lover of space activities.

Several photos publicly available on NASA’s website clearly explain its history, such as the end of a huge sandy hill recorded in late February and captured on the way to the Sun. Perseverance at Beyhive Geyser Along with its left navigation camera, it is located at the top of the rover’s mast as a watchful eye that helps with its driving.

Also read: NASA reports new signs that would support the theory that there are signs of life on Mars

Currently working in the central region of the rover jezero crater, a surface more than 40 kilometers in diameter, located in the northern hemisphere of the Red Planet and containing geological remains containing clues to the geological evolution of not only Mars, but the entire Solar System. During the last few months, Rover pot Jezero is collecting rock samples in a circle of rocks just inside the rim of the crater, which is believed to have been filled with water billions of years ago.

Of the 43 tubes that Perseverance took to Mars, 38 are for collecting samples and five are “witness tubes”, designed to document the cleanliness of its sampling system throughout the mission, which has totaled 60 so far. % has been completed.

Preliminary analysis shows that the rocks at the lake’s edge are composed of rounded particles of carbonate, a mineral that precipitates in water. “This is a promising sign that the rocks were once on the beach,” said Purdue University planetary scientist Briony Horgan, who is leading the rover’s science campaign. “We imagine waves hitting the shores of an ancient paleolake.”

Upon return to Earth these samples will be taken to the laboratory for further study. They will perform fluid inclusion analysis, clustered isotope thermometry, and classical stable isotope analysis that can determine the temperature, pH, and salinity of the water in which these carbonates formed.

This type of analysis is often performed on terrestrial samples from Earth to explore the ancient past, when humans had no tools or historical records. It is possible that certain carbonate characteristics are used not only to determine the type of water in this ancient lake, but also as indicators of the climate of ancient Mars.

Source: Self Made

Robotic missions to the surface of Mars have discovered that the planet was not only once a humid world, but also home to many different types of aquatic environments: fresh water, hot springs, acidic and salty pools. The new face of Mars was outlined through a new era of interplanetary robotic exploration that had begun just 20 years earlier with the arrival of NASA’s twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity that landed on opposite sides of Mars.

By then, the first rover had already reached the surface of Mars. Sojourner reached Mars in 1997, but its scope was not as ambitious. It was the size of a microwave oven and explored a region of Mars near its landing site called Ares Vallis. Scientists were interested in this area because it resembled an ancient flood site. The rover sent back 550 photographs that were already beginning to show some clues about the place being hotter and wetter than Mars; However, this was until the arrival of Spirit and opportunity, Two decades ago, it was possible to climb several technological steps that set standards in robotic exploration.

The size of a golf cart, its mission was clear: to collect evidence that water once flowed on the surface of the Red Planet. Their findings will rewrite science textbooks, such as the famous “blueberries”, idealized spheres of the mineral hematite that form in acidic water. The initial objective was to Rovers They lived only 90 days, but even their creators did not think that their work would last for years. Even with the damaged wheel, Spirit continued to operate on schedule and searched for signs of ancient hot springs that may have been ideal habitats for microbial life billions of years ago.

Scientists already suspected that Mars was completely different from today’s frozen desert long ago, as orbital images already revealed what looked like a network of canals carved into the water. but before spirit and opportunity, there was no evidence that liquid water had created those features. They provided evidence of their journey which lasted 14 years until a sandstorm permanently damaged them. “Our twin rovers were the first to demonstrate that an early, wet Mars once existed,” said Matt Golombek, former NASA Jet Propulsion Project Scientist. The laboratory in Southern California, which led the Mars Exploration Rover mission with the first long-distance rovers: Opportunity, was the first rover to cover marathon distances over a variety of terrain. In total he covered a distance of 45 kilometers.

“They paved the way for us to learn even more about the Red Planet’s past with larger rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance, which are bringing us into the present. spirit and opportunity In their “DNA”, the engineers who created them developed practices for surface exploration that continue today, including the use of specialized software and 3D glasses to better navigate the Martian environment.

list of rocks that Perseverance The fragments discovered so far have held favorites among scientists, such as the famous “mushroom”, a one to two centimeter high and less than a centimeter wide fragment found in an area called “Mushroom”. Hogwallow Flats.

This rock has become a treasure for scientists because it is made of very fine particles, unlike other rocks. In his blog, Scientist Hemeni Kalucha Explains that the fungus actually represents a geological feature known as concretion, which forms a very solid mass as water flows through the sediment dissolving minerals.

Robots on Mars rely on data, processing power, and machine learning techniques to do their job, and everything they need is accomplished remotely by real-life scientists who use them to virtually traverse the Red Planet. do to.

such that robotic technology on mars Brings up one of the most debated topics today: the impact of AI. Robotic technology is proof that it is indispensable in providing inanimate matter with the tools to learn, but fundamental decisions and assumptions can only be made by the men and women who work with them on dry land.

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