Red Planet Roving: New Paper Document First Mars Mission Soil Sample

A new paper released today records the first soil, airfall Dust, and Rock Fragment samples collected by NASA for its return from Mars. Astrobiologists from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, lead the specimen selection team.

This paper is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Until now, the only object from Mars owned by humans is the metstone that crashed on Earth. Thanks to NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission, for the first time in history, scientists can obtain handpicked samples, ranging from chalk-sized rock cores on the chalkboard to collections of fragmented rocks . of sand or dust that fits at the tip of the needle.

Percy, whose nickname is Rover, was launched in July 2020 by Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived in Jezero Crater in February 2021. . A long-standing mission has led to Mars’ support for life, understanding the climate process and history of Mars, exploring the origin and evolution of Mars as a geological system, and determining whether he is trying to prepare himself for human exploration. You’re about to do so.

The specimen is currently scheduled to return to Earth in the mid- to late 2030s. In the meantime, NASA has collected 28 of its mission goals of 43 samples so far.

“The samples help us learn more about Mars, but the surface of Mars is generally much older than the surface of Earth, so we also help to learn more about Earth.” Investigating the interaction of water and minerals.

She is a member of the NASA Mars Sample Return Team and is now in the process of determining which specimens will return to Earth and return to Earth for inspection by powerful lab equipment that is too big to send to Mars. Useful. She is also the lead author of a new research article.

“The spinoff technology used in space exploration has many possibilities that can be used on Earth,” added Hausrath. “And one of the greatest benefits you can get from space programs is that it is exciting for students and children and can help people attract science. Future scientists will be able to qualify for science topics like these. We need to help you.”

The project will bring to life decades of dreams for Hausrath, who fell in love with Mars while pursuing a PhD. We partnered with our advisors to create a proposal to use data from NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity Rovers.

“This is one of my career goals and I was really excited to have this opportunity to serve on Mars missions,” Hausrath said. “The level of detail and accuracy that a patient rover has is truly incredible. You can undo the data, target specific rocks and soil areas, take measurements from small samples or specs, and get information. It can be deciphered. The dust on another planet is amazing.”

Why scientists care

Unlike Earth, on Mars, plate tectonics do not constantly move and tilt the surface of the planet. Just like how scientists study wooden rings and examine cave malk stones for changes in historical climate patterns, researchers use core locks using rover instruments. By digging soil samples for clues, information can be collected about Mars’ existence four billion years ago, including signs of past life.

Examining rock geochemistry and air dust can light how Mars’ climate is heat and cooled and its relative temperature. This information also helps to tilt how the planets formed, reveal clues about the early solar system, and identify the period of life that occurred on Earth.

“In the early Mars history, the planets are thought to have warm and liquid water, which is very different from the current environment, which is very windy, dry and cold.” said Houseras. “I’m really interested in water and what kind of environment is habitable. Mars in particular is very similar to Earth in many ways. If Mars has a past life, we’ll be able to do that. You may be able to see the signature.”

This mission also serves as a de facto scout mission that can unlock clues about the similarities and challenges humans may face during their future trips to Red Planet. To highlight the importance of reconnaissance, Hausrass spoke about the experiences of the first astronauts on the moon.

“The lunar Regoliths are actually really sharp, so they cut holes in astronaut spacesuits, something scientists didn’t expect,” she said. “There is a lot of dust and sand on the surface of Mars, and reviving samples is of great interest to scientists, and future human astronauts interact with particles swirling in the air, and We know that it may be used in building materials.”

How the Rover works

Percy boasts a cache of futuristic instruments that scientists can operate from millions of miles away. You can measure chemistry and mineralogy by shooting lasers from a few meters away. There are proximity equipment that can measure fine scale elements. Researchers use the wheels of the rover to create grooves so that they can be seen below the planet’s surface. Science, engineering, and navigation cameras transport images to Earth.

“Looking up close at these Mars images is like a video game,” says Hausrath. “You can zoom in, look at rocks and soil, choose where to measure, and get an idea of ​​the chemistry and mineralogy of a particular rock. SF.”

Hausrath is one of the team’s tactical science leads. During the daily meeting, members cooperate with instructions and send them back to the Rover for collection.

“There are some instruments that are smaller and cannot be sent to Mars,” Hausrath said. And look at trace metals, isotopes, etc. with higher accuracy. ”

Until then, the samples are held on a small tube of Mars and stored in a rover or three forks depots. The lake at the planet Jezero Crater. Scientists map complex layouts so they can find samples even if buried beneath a layer of dust.

Eventually they are retrieved by the robotic Lander, carefully trapping the tube using the robot arm, then placed in a capsule mounted on a small rocket, and then onto yet another spaceship for a long ride to Earth. We will ship it.

What the rock reveals

On Earth, life is almost everywhere water. Percy Team is on its mission to find out if the same applies to Mars, billions of years ago, when the planet’s climate resembles ours. Rock and soil samples are drawn from former water-rich Jezero craters and crater rims. Craters are loaded with clay minerals.

Until the sample returns to Earth, scientists cannot say for certain whether they contain traces of microorganisms that may have once flourished on the Red Planet. But so far, there are strong indicators that enhance previous predictions about water flowing freely on Mars, an estimated 2 billion years ago.

Percy’s camera shows that the surface crust is different from the soil below, with large pebbles at the top and fine subsurface particles different. Some particles are coarse and weathered, and there is evidence in the past that they are signs of a habitable environment, as they are likely to have been exposed to water. Atmospheric measurements provide indications of recent processes involving water vapor in layers of soil crust.

The bedrock is rich in olivine, a mineral found in Mars’ metstone. Oliverstones can undergo a meandering process. This is the process that occurs when Olivin interacts with water and heat. This indicates the potential for habitability on the planet.

But perhaps the most exciting discovery (and one of Hausrath’s personal favorites) is the rock, with a “leopard spot” called “Chayaba Falls” after the falls in the Grand Canyon. Rocks contain phosphates. Phosphate is of interest to scientists as it is the major building block of life on Earth, from energy metabolism and cell membranes to DNA and RNA.

The analysis continues. The NASA team is looking forward to working with the European Space Agency (ESA), which is set to launch Rover Rosalind Franklin in 2028. 4-6 cm drill.

“It’s probably under the influence of radiation, so if there were traces of organic molecules on Mars in the past, we could potentially see something we hadn’t seen before,” Hausrath said.

A journey home

NASA will work with ESA to bring the specimen tube home between 2035 and 2039. Once the samples return to Earth’s orbit, the first stop will be the facility they carefully inspect. ‘Safe for release to researchers. The overall cache of 43 rock and soil samples includes five witness tubes to test for potential contamination.

“Planet protection is the best mind for missions. We make sure that Mars is protected from us and we make sure that we are potentially protected from Mars,” Hausras said. Ta. “The goal is to stay safe from the samples and prevent US contamination that affects the samples in case there is concern about human danger.”

After clearance, she said researchers around the world could request some of these “international treasures” for research, as well as current programs to access Mars metstones.

“One of the really cool things about the mission is that it’s very international and the sample is a truly global effort,” Hausrath said. “It’s really great to work together to get these samples back for this goal that benefits us all.”