NASA’s Perseverance rover, better known as Percy, was designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. It successfully landed on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, and since then has provided scientists with important information.
Recently, the rover attracted a lot of scientific interest because it spotted something really exciting and unusual – a distinctive white rock sitting on the surface of Mount Washburn, inside the massive Jezero crater.
More information: NASA
NASA’s Perseverance rover, which has been on Mars since February 2021, recently found a special rock called Atoko Point
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Images of the light-hued stone with dark spots reached scientists on May 27, 2024, the 1,162nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The 18 by 14 inch (45 by 35 centimeter) rock, because of its uniqueness, was named ‘Atoko Point’ as a reference to the eastern Grand Canyon.
Analysis by Perseverance’s SuperCam and Mastcam-Z showed that Atoko Point is composed of minerals such as pyroxene and feldspar.
“In terms of the size, shape, and arrangement of its mineral grains and crystals—and potentially its chemical composition—Atoko Point is in a league of its own,” NASA shared in their press release.
“The diversity of textures and compositions at Mount Washburn was an exciting discovery for the team, as these rocks represent a grab bag of geologic bounty brought down from the crater rim and potentially beyond,” added Brad Garczynski of Western Washington University, the research team. co-leader.
While the rock is attracting attention with its appearance and chemical composition, the scientific team is also trying to understand where Atoko Point came from, and it seems that at the moment there are at least two different hypotheses.
One group of researchers is suggesting that Atoko Point was made in an underground body of magma that is probably now exposed at the rim of the crater, and the rest of the team believes that the rock formed well beyond the 28-mile-wide walls. Jezero Crater and was transported there by “swift Martian waters” centuries ago.
“However, the team believes that while Atoko is the first of its kind they’ve seen, it won’t be the last,” NASA said.
The unusual rock was found on the surface of Mount Washburn, a hill inside Jezero Crater
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
The main purpose of the Mars Persistence mission is astrobiology, searching for signs of ancient life and collecting rock and regolith samples for possible return to Earth.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is investigating Jezero Crater – a large region of the Red Planet where the ancient environment may have created the perfect conditions for microbial life. Equipped with a new subsystem for collecting Martian rock samples, Percy could bring back possible evidence of past life.
Although Perseverance has a similar design to its predecessor, Curiosity, it was moderately modernized: it carries 7 main payload instruments, 23 cameras (9 engineering, 7 scientific and 7 input, descent, landing) and 2 microphones.
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Two scientific instruments mounted on the rover’s robotic arm allow it to analyze the chemical, mineral, physical and organic characteristics of Martian rocks and determine the best sites for collecting samples, while high-resolution imaging and three types of spectroscopy for characterization of rocks and soil from a distance helps Percy determine which rocky targets to explore closely. The collected samples are later sealed in tubes and stored in the rover’s chassis for retrieval by a future mission for deep-Earth analysis.
“The belly of the rover contains all the equipment and supplies needed to collect samples. It contains a rotating drill carousel, which is a wheel that contains different types of drill bits,” NASA explained.
“As the rover’s large arm extends and pierces the rock, the rover’s belly is home to a small robotic arm that works as a ‘lab assistant’ for the large arm. The small arm picks up and moves the new sample tubes into the drill and transfers the filled sample containers to a space where they are sealed and stored,” they added.
The rover also carried the mini-helicopter called Ingenuity, an experimental technology testbed that made the first powered flight to another planet, but on January 18, 2024, it made its 72nd and final flight and, for due to landing damage. to its rotor blades, had to be retired by NASA.
Analysis from the rover’s SuperCam and Mastcam-Z instruments show that Atoko Point is composed of pyroxene and feldspar minerals
Image credits: ESA
Image credits: SETI Institute
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Over the years, 6 rovers have operated on Mars: Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance (Percy), managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Zhurong. managed by the China National Space Administration.
Despite the technical differences, they all have been focused on the 4 main long-term goals of the Mars Exploration Program:
- to find out if life has ever been on Mars;
- characterize the climate on the Red Planet;
- characterize the geology of Mars;
- prepare for human exploration.
Although Persistence was designed to last only a few years on Mars, it will most likely outlive the predictions because, for example, its twin, Curiosity, is still going strong after almost 11 years of wandering.
The main reason for its longevity may be that both of these rovers are using a nuclear power source instead of solar panels that can stop working when covered in dust or when the sun dims during dust storm season.
However, after completing the mission, Percy will not return to Earth, as to date there is no known technology to launch the rover.
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Image credits: NASA
Since 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover has made remarkable discoveries about the Red Planet’s surface, including its volcanic history, climate and the role of water in the crater Lakes.
While previous rovers were focused on geology and understanding the Martian environment, Percy is looking for signs of past life, and the recent discovery of Atoko Point could definitely provide some clues.