Mars rover finds organic molecules on the red planet

During his exploration of Mars, Perseverance not only takes lots of exciting photos, he also collects numerous data and even rock samples. In analyzing this information, scientists have now discovered new evidence that strengthens the suspicion that there may have been life on Mars in the past. The results were published in Nature magazine.

The Mars rover examined a total of ten locations with its “Sherloc instrument” and actually found what it was looking for in all of them. This instrument is used for the fine-scale detection of minerals, organic molecules and potential biosignatures

Sherloc is according to NASA mounted on the rover’s arm and uses cameras, (Raman) spectrometers and lasers for its search. The instrument, which weighs three kilograms, does not have to come into contact with the examined rock, which means that possible samples are not damaged during the examination.

The presence of likely organic minerals is a step forward, but still a long way from proving life once existed on Mars.

Gizmodo quotes from an email from Study coordinator Joseph Razzell Hollis: “Our results support observations from previous robotic missions to Mars that the red planet was once rich in organic material, compounds composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen, and that some of this organic material is still being detected billions of years later can.”

Some time ago, NASA discovered evidence of organic carbon in rock samples that were eight years old. Just as then, the restriction that the materials could also come from meteorites or be of volcanic origin still applies today. Organic molecules can also be formed through geological processes and do not necessarily have to have a biological origin. However, they are “an exciting clue for astrobiologists as they are often thought of as the building blocks of life,” according to study lead author Sunanda Sharma. to space.com.

Accordingly, Joseph Razzell Hollis states that each new discovery would be a small step in the search for life on Mars. In any case, the new findings suggest that a complex geochemical process took place on Mars and even earlier than previously assumed. However, NASA faces a problem: the rover technology is not precise enough to definitively prove life on Mars using rock samples. Should it remain with such finds, only the examination of the samples in laboratories on earth could bring certainty.

This is where NASA’s extremely ambitious plan comes in, with which the samples collected on Mars are to be brought back to Earth. However, this is risky: Among other things, it requires the autonomous interaction of several robots on the red planet – which, however, have to get there first.

Then a rocket must be launched back to Earth from Mars, which would be the first rocket launch from an alien planet. Even if the mission were a complete success, the samples would not be on Earth until 2033 at the earliest. You can read more about it here: This is how Nasa wants to bring samples from Mars to Earth.

A few years later, NASA wants to bring humans to Mars for the first time so that they can examine the planet on site. The stay on Mars is currently being trained in a hangar in Texas. You can see what it looks like in our picture gallery: