Perseverance rover spots mysterious 'visitor from outer space' rock on Mars surface after 4 years

NASA’s Perseverance rover whitethorn person stumbled connected a visitant from outer abstraction – a strange, shiny stone connected Mars that scientists deliberation could beryllium a meteorite forged successful the bosom of an past asteroid.

According to a caller blog station connected the rover’s ngo page, the stone – nicknamed "Phippsaksla" – stood retired from the flat, breached terrain astir it, prompting NASA scientists to instrumentality a person look.

Tests revealed precocious levels of robust and nickel, the aforesaid elements recovered successful meteorites that person crashed onto some Mars and Earth.

While this isn’t the archetypal clip a rover has spotted a metallic stone connected Mars, it could beryllium the archetypal for Perseverance. Earlier missions – including Curiosity, Opportunity, and Spirit – discovered iron-nickel meteorites scattered crossed the Martian surface, making it each the much astonishing that Perseverance hadn’t seen 1 until now, NASA said.

MASSIVE ASTEROID BIGGER THAN A SKYSCRAPER HEADING TOWARD EARTH AT 24,000 MPH

NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered a shiny metallic stone that scientists judge could beryllium a meteorite forged successful the bosom of an past asteroid. (NASA via Getty Images)

Now, conscionable beyond the crater’s rim, the rover whitethorn person yet recovered 1 – a metallic stone perched connected past impact-formed bedrock. If confirmed, the find would spot Perseverance alongside the different Mars rovers that person examined fragments of cosmic visitors to the reddish planet.

To larn much astir the rock, the squad aimed Perseverance’s SuperCam – an instrumentality that fires a laser to analyse a target’s chemic constitution – astatine Phippsaksla. The readings showed unusually precocious levels of robust and nickel, a operation NASA said powerfully suggests a meteorite origin.

Mounted atop the rover’s mast, SuperCam uses its laser to vaporize tiny bits of material, truthful sensors tin observe the elements wrong from respective meters away.

SCIENTISTS SPOT SKYSCRAPER-SIZED ASTEROID RACING THROUGH SOLAR SYSTEM

The shiny stone nicknamed "Phippsaksla," discovered by NASA’s Perseverance rover, showed precocious levels of robust and nickel accordant with meteorites recovered connected Mars and Earth. (NASA)

The uncovering is significant, NASA noted, due to the fact that robust and nickel are typically recovered unneurotic lone successful meteorites formed heavy wrong past asteroids – not successful autochthonal Martian rocks.

If confirmed, Phippsaksla would articulation a agelong database of meteorites identified by earlier missions, including Curiosity’s "Lebanon" and "Cacao" finds, arsenic good arsenic metallic fragments spotted by Opportunity and Spirit. NASA said each find has helped scientists amended recognize however meteorites interact with the Martian aboveground implicit time.

Because Phippsaksla sits atop impact-formed bedrock extracurricular Jezero crater, NASA scientists said its determination could connection clues astir however the stone formed and however it ended up there.

MASSIVE COMET ZOOMING THROUGH SOLAR SYSTEM COULD BE ALIEN TECHNOLOGY, HARVARD ASTROPHYSICIST SAYS

NASA scientists accidental the metallic stone spotted by Perseverance whitethorn beryllium a meteorite formed heavy wrong an past asteroid earlier crashing onto Mars. (NASA)

For now, the bureau said its squad is continuing to survey Phippsaksla’s antithetic constitution to corroborate whether it genuinely came from beyond Mars.

If proven to beryllium a meteorite, the find would people a long-awaited milestone for Perseverance – and different reminder that adjacent connected a satellite 140 cardinal miles away, determination are inactive surprises waiting successful the dust.

Perseverance, NASA’s astir precocious robot to date, traveled 293 cardinal miles to scope Mars aft launching connected a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Station successful Florida connected July 30, 2020. It touched down successful Jezero crater connected Feb. 18, 2021, wherever it has spent astir 4 years searching for signs of past microbial beingness and exploring the planet’s surface.

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Built astatine NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory successful Pasadena, California, the $2.7 cardinal rover is astir 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 7 feet gangly – astir 278 pounds heavier than its predecessor, Curiosity. 

Powered by a plutonium generator, Perseverance carries 7 technological instruments, a seven-foot robotic arm, and a stone drill that allows it to cod samples that could 1 time instrumentality to Earth.

 The ngo volition besides assistance NASA hole for aboriginal quality exploration of Mars successful the 2030s.