NASA Exploring Robot Finds Organic Molecules On Mars, Proof Of Life?

NASA rover robot discovers organic matter on Mars. (photo: doc. Nasa)

JAKARTA - NASA's rover, Perseverance has again discovered something unique from Planet Mars. Is an organic molecule that is in the rock in the Jazero Crater, the planet.

According to a report by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the bedrock of Martian craters has interacted with water several times over the past thousand years.

The organic molecule was discovered by the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument at Perseverance, the robot explorer found that organic matter is not only present in the interior of the rock, but also the dust in other rocks.

Unfortunately, Perseverance's discovery cannot indicate whether life ever existed on Mars, as both biological and non-biological mechanisms could be responsible for the organic existence.

"Curiosity also found organic material at its landing site in Gale Crater", said Luther Beegle, SHERLOC principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as quoted by The Independent, Friday, December 17.

“What SHERLOC adds to the story is its ability to map the spatial distribution of organic matter within rocks and relate that organic material to the minerals found there. It helps us understand the environment in which organics form. Further analysis needs to be carried out to determine the production method for the identified organic matter", he added.

At this time the organic molecule cannot be studied further, because the sample has not yet reached the hands of scientists on Earth. The rock that Perseverance has passed through several times is formed by red-hot magma, which is transformed by water on several occasions. This discovery will give geologists the knowledge to understand how the early history of the planet formed.

Perseverance has 43 sample tubes, six of which have been locked. Four of them contain rock cores, one has a sample of the Martian atmosphere, and the last contains material to examine how radiation or other contamination is on the planet so that Earth explorers can prepare for it.