Perseverance Submit Latest Photos Of Martian Rocks In Full Detail

JAKARTA - Mars is dotted with countless rocks all over its surface, and as you can see in the NASA photo above, each has a unique story to tell about the planet's history. Among all the planets in our Solar System, Mars has been the main focus. While always of interest to scientists and astronomers, research missions have multiplied in recent years.

Just look at what has happened in 2021. China landed its first rover on the planet, then NASA's Perseverance rover collected the first Martian rock samples to return to Earth, and the InSight probe created the first map of the planet's interior. This robotics provides incredible data and information about Mars, paving the way for the first humans to visit it in the 2030s.

When not collecting rock samples or traversing the harsh surface of Mars, Perseverance records its entire journey with thousands of photos. Perseverance takes photos with multiple cameras, shares them with NASA, and then all files are uploaded for all to see — as seen above and below.

This image was obtained on September 30, 2021, using the Right Navigation Camera from Perseverance. This is one of many photos the rover has taken of Martian rock, although it is one of the most detailed.

Immediately, the photo was liked a lot. It features rocks of various sizes, small pebbles littering the Martian surface, and fine detail in the dust that covers the planet. It's well known that the entirety of Mars looks like this to some degree, but the tiny details in the rock, sand and dust are really interesting when you look closely.

For this particular image, the main takeaway is the rich history etched into the rocks. It didn't take long to realize these stones had seen better days. Each surface has an uneven texture and piles of small craters/holes. This is most likely caused by millions of years of strong winds and sandstorms that are common on Mars. This weather is a huge challenge to humanity's ultimate goal of colonizing Mars, but at the very least, it has also created some very beautiful specimens like this one.

This photo is also a good reminder of how diverse Martian rocks are. All of these appear quite small and have a fairly regular shape. Other images, however, have shown very different rock types - including boulders and those that look like tiny worms. It will take a while before humans can see these stunning stones in person, so until then, we will continue to rely on Perseverance and other rovers to continue to share the beauty with us.