Perseverance Finds Rocks On Mars, Allegedly Iron-Nickel Meteorites From Outside The Planet

Perseverance observe the surface of Mars (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA Perseverance, NASA's rover, found strange help on Mars that caught the attention of scientists. According to them, these rocks shouldn't be on the Red Planet.

This foreign object, named Phippsaksla, is believed to be an iron-nickel meteorite. This is the first meteorite Perseverance found with the material. This rock is known to measure more than 2.5 feet or about 8 meters.

This very prominent rock was discovered when Perseverance wanted to study its object closer outside the Jezero crater. The crater is a basin that the river has plagued, where the rover has been operating since landing in 2021.

The discovery of Phippsaksla rocks actually occurred in early September. However, this information was only conveyed by NASA on November 13 because they had limited routine communication to the public due to the closure of the federal government.

Preliminary reading of SuperCam Perseverance, an instrument that analyzes rock composition, shows high iron and nickel content. This combination is commonly found in meteorites originating deep inside large asteroids.

The chemical results also indicate that the rock formed elsewhere before landing on Mars. However, iron-nickel meteorites tend to withstand well in Mars' thin atmosphere and a harsh environment.

This makes scientists suspect that iron meteorites are able to withstand erosion. This finding also explains why some parts of Phippsaksla are seen on the listing ground. Now, researchers are planning further analysis to determine the origin of Phippsaksla.

"If this rock is indeed a meteorite, Perseverance can finally add itself to the list of Mars explorers who have investigated the fragments of rocky visitors to Mars," said telas, one of the research scientists from Purdue University, quoted on Monday, November 17.