Is Mars habitable? NASA event today will reveal major discovery
What's the story
NASA will hold a teleconference today at 11:00am EDT (8:30pm IST) to discuss a major finding from the Perseverance rover's exploration of Mars. The event will be streamed live on NASA's website. The discovery pertains to a unique rock sample named "Sapphire Canyon," which was collected by the Perseverance rover in July 2024 from Jezero Crater, an area believed to have once harbored life.
Rock details
Sapphire Canyon comes from Neretva Vallis
Sapphire Canyon comes from "Neretva Vallis," a river valley that once flowed into Jezero Crater. NASA has previously described this arrowhead-shaped rock as having been extracted from another "vein-filled rock" called "Cheyava Falls." This specimen is known for its "poppy seeds" and "leopard spots" patterns, which were first observed by the Perseverance team.
Life evidence
Why Sapphire Canyon's origin is intriguing
Cheyava Falls is significant for being the only known location on Mars with chemical evidence of possible life-associated reactions and organic molecules. This makes Sapphire Canyon's origin even more intriguing. The Perseverance team has been gathering samples like this one, hoping to bring pieces of the Red Planet back to Earth someday. Sapphire Canyon is the 25th such sample collected by the team.
Sample mystery
Conference details and attendees
The fate of the Mars Sample Return program is uncertain due to budget constraints and changing priorities. The upcoming conference will be attended by several NASA officials including Sean Duffy, acting administrator and Nicky Fox, associate administrator of Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Other attendees include Lindsay Hays, Senior Scientist for Mars Exploration at Planetary Science Division of NASA Headquarters and Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance Project Scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.