Convincing signs of life of the Mars rover

Martian rock that may contain signs of life is exciting scientists like Katie Stack Morgan, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and deputy project scientist for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

This “really compelling sample” found by the rover could answer the question of whether there is life on Mars, Stack Morgan said Newsweek.

The rock, which was named Cheyava Falls after a crevasse in the Grand Canyon, was found in July while exploring the Jezero Crater.

NASA's Perseverance rover — Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The vehicle discovered a rock that may indicate life on the Red Planet.

Trifonow Evgenly/Getty Images

The rover’s instruments detected organic compounds in the sample; ingredients necessary for the emergence of life.

“This is exactly the type of chemistry that microorganisms on Earth mediate and use as an energy source to fuel their own microbial metabolism,” Stack Morgan said Newsweek.

The arrowhead-shaped rock measures 1 meter by 0.6 meters (3.3 feet by 2.9 feet) and is one of 25 samples collected so far by the Perseverance rover that could be delivered to Earth as part of a future return mission.

“We’re really keen to recover this sample in particular because it may be the case that there are signs of life below what we can detect with the naked eye,” Stack Morgan said.

“You see a structure there that could be a fingerprint that life has left behind, and that’s really exciting for us, so we’re very keen to check it out and bring it home.

“We have what we think is a potential biological signature, something that could have been created by life, but requires further study. The building blocks of life are found in these rocks.

“First of all, of course, we have organic molecules, so we have proof that these are organic molecules. Of course, organic substances do not mean that there is life there, because organic substances can be of biological or non-biological origin.

A view of NASA's Perseverance rover crater — The above image of Mars’ Jezero Crater was taken by NASA Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z instrument as the rover climbed the western wall of the crater. Vehicle traces are also visible.

“The presence of organics certainly makes you think, because that’s life as you know it, right? It consists of these organic molecules.

“That’s the first aspect that makes us excited about this rock, that’s one of the things we look for.

“Then we have these leopard spots. We call them leopard spots because they are small white spots on otherwise red rock.

“The rock is obviously red because it contains iron. When we combine iron in rock, water, and organic matter, chemical reactions occur – and on Earth, these reactions often involve microbes.

“The question is, was life involved in this reaction or not? Since it’s just chemistry, you can do it without involving life, but here on Earth, life is involved in this kind of reaction.”