NASA's Perseverance rover finds mysterious, donut-shaped rock on Mars
What's the story
NASA's Perseverance rover has found another interesting rock on Mars, but researchers are not entirely sure about where it came from. The latest discovery is a huge stone with a hole in its center (almost like a donut). It is surrounded by other rocks of a similar shade, which indicates they all have a common origin, possibly from outside the Red Planet.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Perseverance comes across unique features on Mars, however, the donut-shaped rock could classify as one of its most intriguing findings. Previous missions have also spotted pastry-like Martian rocks but that was quite some time ago. In January 2014, NASA's Opportunity found a stone that was white on the outside with reddish interiors—compelling the mission's team to liken it to a jelly donut.
Detail
The rock could be a large meteorite
The newly-discovered rock "could be a large meteorite alongside smaller pieces," said a team from SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute via Twitter. The latest image was taken by Perseverance's onboard equipment, called SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager. This instrument can perform high-resolution imaging and measurements of chemical elements even when it is at a distance from the object of interest.
Finding
What are meteorites?
Meteorites can be thought of as space rocks. The term refers to the debris left behind by a meteoroid after it reenters a planet's atmosphere and makes its way to the surface. However, this is not the first time that Perseverance has spotted a potential meteorite on Mars. Shortly after the rover landed on the Red Planet in February 2021, it spotted one.
Current position
The rover is currently probing Jerezo Crater on Mars
Perseverance is currently probing a massive crater, called Jezero. It measures about 45km wide. This region is said to have been home to a huge lake and an ancient river delta. The car-sized rover is busy scouring through the crater in search of clues that may point to life on Mars and is collecting samples to be returned to Earth.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the recently discovered donut-shaped rock
#PPOD: @NASAPersevere took a picture using the SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager on 23 June 2023 of a donut-shaped rock off in the distance, which could be a large meteorite alongside smaller pieces. Credit: @NASA @NASAJPL @Caltech @LosAlamosNatLab @CNES @IRAP_France @mars_stu pic.twitter.com/9EFTr5tlno
— The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) June 26, 2023
Information
The Ingenuity helicopter acts as a scout for Perseverance rover
Perseverance rover is not alone on the Red Planet. It is accompanied by the Ingenuity helicopter, which acts as a scout for the rover. The 1.8-kg chopper has the job of looking out for potential science targets on Mars for the rover to investigate.