NEW YORK: NASA’s Perseverance Rover, since its successful landing on Mars, has been providing scientists with remarkable images and valuable insights about the red planet. Recently, the rover transmitted an image of a peculiar Martian rock back to Earth, leaving NASA scientists intrigued.
The rock, shaped like a doughnut with a hole at its center, is believed to be a crashed meteorite. In the image captured by the rover’s remote-sensing camera, the rock is surrounded by several smaller stones, adding to the mystery.
The SETI Institute, based in California, shared the intriguing discovery on Monday, stating, “NASA Perseverance took a picture on June 23, 2023, using the SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager of a doughnut-shaped rock in the distance, which could be a large meteorite alongside smaller pieces.”
Unusual Rock Formations on Mars
This isn’t the first time that the Perseverance Rover has come across unusual rock formations on Mars. Earlier this year, NASA scientists identified a peculiar structure resembling a bear’s face. The formation consisted of two craters forming the eyes of the “bear,” and a V-shaped collapsed hill serving as its snout. Researchers speculate that the circular fracture pattern resulted from a deposit settling over a buried impact crater, while the bear nose-like structure is likely of volcanic or mud vent origin.
In February, the Curiosity Rover also made a fascinating discovery on the Red Planet – a shiny metallic rock that appeared to be an iron-nickel meteorite. Curiosity’s previous findings included a rock formation resembling an “alien doorway,” believed to have formed due to seismic activities on Mars.
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Encounters Rock on Mars
In May, NASA’s Curiosity rover encountered a rock resembling a book on its 3,800th day on Mars, dubbed “Terra Firme.” According to NASA officials, the peculiar shapes of Mars rocks are typically attributed to ancient water activity when the planet was wetter billions of years ago.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory stated, “Curiosity has been exploring Mars’ Gale Crater since August 2012, with significant scientific findings including the discovery of persistent liquid water on ancient Mars, potential evidence of ancient life through organics, and radiation examination at the surface.”
NASA’s Perseverance Rover continues its mission in the Jezero Crater region of Mars, where it is collecting and storing samples in tubes for future retrieval and further investigations on Earth. Each discovery and image sent by the rovers contribute to humanity’s expanding knowledge of the red planet and its fascinating geological history.