Why in News?
NASA announced that its Perseverance rover has detected “potential biosignatures” in a Martian rock named Cheyava Falls, containing clay, silt, organic carbon, sulphur, oxidised iron, and phosphorus — the strongest evidence yet suggesting ancient microbial life on Mars, pending further detailed analysis.
Description:
- The Perseverance Rover discovered “Cheyava Falls”, an arrowhead-shaped rock, on the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, an ancient river valley feeding Jezero Crater.
- Rock shows chemical signatures & textures that may indicate past microbial life (billions of years ago).
- The area once had running water → favourable for life.
Instruments & Findings:
- SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) detected organic compounds in the rock.
- Organics = carbon-based molecules, building blocks of life (but may also arise abiotically).
- Rock also contains clay, silt, oxidised iron, sulphur, phosphorus → good preservers of biosignatures.
About Perseverance Rover:
| Item | Details |
| Mission | Part of NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission |
| Nickname | Percy |
| Launch | 30 July 2020 – Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Landing | 18 Feb 2021 – Jezero Crater |
| Dimensions | 3 m (L) × 2.7 m (W) × 2.2 m (H) |
| Weight | ~1,025 kg |
| Power | MMRTG – converts plutonium decay heat to electricity |
| Mobility | 6 wheels, robotic arm, drill |
| Main Objective | Search for signs of ancient life, collect & cache rock/regolith samples for Earth return |
Scientific Goals & Sample Strategy:
- Examine ancient lakebed sediments for biosignatures.
- Drill rock cores, seal in metal tubes, deposit on surface for future sample-return mission (joint NASA-ESA).
Significance:
- Strongest hint yet of past life on Mars, but not conclusive.
- Supports theory that Neretva Vallis–Jezero region once had habitable conditions.
- Data will refine our understanding of astrobiology & Mars’ geologic history.
Caveats / Next Steps:
- Organic molecules may also form through non-biological reactions.
- Need for Earth-based lab analysis of cached samples.
- Sample-return mission delayed (budget/logistics).
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