NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, has made an exciting discovery in its exploration of the planet. While navigating the dried-up river channel called Neretva Vallis, the rover came across a field of stones that scientists have never seen before on Mars. The stones include an 18-inch wide and 14-inch tall boulder nicknamed 'Atoko Point', which is composed of minerals called pyroxene and feldspar. This composition suggests that the boulder may have originated from an underground source of magma and could have been carried there by flowing water. The discovery of these stones indicates the presence of anorthosites on Mars, a type of rock mainly found on Earth and the Moon. This finding suggests that Mars' geology may be more similar to Earth's than previously believed [8f7a07ef] [a18f7c11].
The analysis of the samples collected by the Perseverance rover, including the newly discovered stones, will provide crucial information about Mars' past climate, atmosphere, and the possibility of life on the planet. These samples, sealed in titanium tubes, will be studied in terrestrial laboratories to understand the evolution of climates different from Earth's, reveal trace gases in Martian air, provide data about the water cycle on Mars, and study the size and toxicity of dust particles. Additionally, the Perseverance rover's mission includes studying the environment for future human missions to Mars and developing strategies for safety and success [8a416ba5] [9e4e9684].
This recent development adds to the ongoing exploration of Mars by the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. Both rovers are uncovering valuable insights into the planet's geological history. Curiosity is currently in Gediz Vallis, where it has been analyzing various rock types and colors. It has discovered smooth white pieces at 'Hidden Lakes' and 'Reggae Pole', a smooth gray piece at 'Rixford Pass', and a dark gray, rough piece at 'Garnet Lake'. Curiosity has also captured images of the next significant piece it plans to investigate, 'Whitebark Pass', which exhibits a similar variety of colors in a more organized arrangement. Additionally, Curiosity has been observing dust loading, dust devils, clouds, and the orderly layers of the 'Kukenan' butte [b0d68e1e].
Perseverance recently descended into Neretva Vallis and has been able to traverse longer distances more efficiently by turning north into the channel. The rover made a stop at Mount Washburn 'Atoko Point', where the newly discovered stones were found. Perseverance is now heading towards 'Bright Angel', a striking exposure of light-toned rock located to the northwest, to assess the vertical stacking of the rocks and understand their connection to Neretva Vallis and the crater rim. The exploration of Neretva Vallis is a critical component of Perseverance's mission to uncover the history of water and geological activity on Mars [a18f7c11].
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) used open-source tools and geospatial analysis to select Jezero Crater as the landing site for the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. They created maps of the terrain using data from orbiting satellites before the vehicles arrived on Mars. The JPL team developed the Multi-Mission Geographic Information System (MMGIS), an open-source web-based mapping interface, to enable full-scale mapping of Mars. The software allows researchers to zoom in to see individual boulders and zoom out to see all of Mars. The images taken by Perseverance and Ingenuity during the Mars 2020 mission are freely available to the public. The JPL team views their work as part of the cycle of open science, using open tools to make their job easier while also developing new features for others to use in the future [9dabc263].