Mars Exploration News  
MARSDAILY
Fine-grained rocks at Hogwallow Flats
by Lydia Kivrak, Student Collaborator at University of Florida
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 24, 2022

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. This image was acquired on June 18, 2022 (Sol 472) at the local mean solar time of 12:03:25.

Perseverance's exploration of the Hawksbill Gap area of the Jezero Delta continues! The rover has abraded at two different locations over the last few weeks. First, the rover abraded in the Devil's Tanyard area.

Unfortunately, the crumbly rocks at Devils Tanyard were broken and moved by the force of the abrasion. Nevertheless, the team was able to use the SuperCam and Mastcam-Z instruments to gather valuable scientific data of the abrasion patch and surrounding area.

The rover then made its way up the delta to abrade at Hogwallow Flats, an area nicknamed "the Bacon Strip" by the team due to its light-colored striped rocks, which look like a strip of bacon in images taken by the Hi-Rise orbiter.

The rocks at Hogwallow Flats appear to be very fine-grained, which is exciting to scientists on the mission as fine-grained rocks may have the best chance at preserving evidence of life. In order to understand why, we need to talk a little about organic molecules.

Molecules made up of mostly carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are called organic molecules and are the primary building blocks of life on Earth. Some small organic molecules can be produced without the presence of life (and have been detected on Mars and in meteorites in the past), so the presence of organic molecules in a rock does not automatically mean that life was present. However, the detection of particularly large and complex organic molecules, or specific patterns of organic molecules, could be considered a biosignature.

Unfortunately, large and complex molecules break down into smaller ones over time due to radiation from the sun and reactions with the rocks and atmosphere. If there was life in Jezero crater 3-4 billion years ago, most of the large organic molecules created by it would have been destroyed, leaving little evidence of the presence of life.

In order to have a chance of detecting evidence of life in the samples that Perseverance will ultimately send back, we need to sample rocks that have the best chance of preserving complex organic molecules - fine-grained rocks. This is because fine-grained rocks are more likely to contain large amounts of clay minerals than rocks with lots of sand, pebbles, and gravel.

Clay minerals have charged surfaces that can bind to organic molecules, kind of like how magnets with opposite charges stick together. By being attached to clay minerals in this way, complex organic molecules can be protected from damage in the harsh Martian environment, and preserved over a much longer period of time then they would be otherwise.

The team plans for Perseverance to explore several more sites on the delta front before deciding where it will sample. We will continue to keep an eye out for more fine-grained rocks as we continue on from Hogwallow!


Related Links
Perseverance Mars 2020
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


MARSDAILY
How Perseverance averts collisions and zaps
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 10, 2022
Perseverance has a number of moving parts, including the robotic arm, drill, mast, instrument covers, high gain antenna, and mobility system. An unintended collision with the rover body or Martian terrain during motion could cause irreparable damage. In addition, the SuperCam instrument shoots the LIBS laser at the surface to create a plasma and perform spectroscopy, and we also want to prevent the laser from zapping any part of the rover. To avoid this, Perseverance checks upcoming moves and lase ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MARSDAILY
Lunar science stirring on Mount Etna

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spots rocket impact site on Moon

Rocket Lab launches CAPSTONE on Lunar mission for for NASA

CAPSTONE Uses Gravity on Unusual, Efficient Route to the Moon

MARSDAILY
Chinese official says its Mars sample mission will beat NASA back to Earth

China's deep space exploration laboratory starts operation

Shenzhou XIV taikonauts to conduct 24 medical experiments in space

Shenzhou XIV astronauts transporting supplies into space station

MARSDAILY
Exotic carbon microcrystals in meteorite dust

Arecibo Observatory scientists help unravel surprise asteroid mystery

NASA Announces Launch Delay for Its Psyche Asteroid Mission

Unraveling a meteorite mystery reveals solar system origin story

MARSDAILY
You can help scientists study the atmosphere on Jupiter

SwRI scientists identify a possible source for Charon's red cap

NASA's Europa Clipper Mission Completes Main Body of the Spacecraft

Gemini North Telescope Helps Explain Why Uranus and Neptune Are Different Colors

MARSDAILY
SwRI researcher shows how elliptical craters could shed light on age of Saturn's moons

Scientists model landscape formation on Titan, revealing an Earth-like alien world

MARSDAILY
Contract secures design for ESA's FORUM satellite

How do you process space data and imagery in low earth orbit?

China launches new batch of remote sensing satellites

BlackSky awarded Five-Year Joint Artificial Intelligence Center Contract for AI Data Readiness

MARSDAILY
Rocket Lab launches CAPSTONE microsat to test new lunar orbit design for NASA

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus reboosts Space Station

How scientist proposed a novel Kalman filter for target tracking in space

NASA EXPRESS Racks achieve 1 million hours of service on ISS

MARSDAILY
A novel crystal structure sheds light on the dynamics of extrasolar planets

Long-term liquid water also on non-Earth-like planets

Ancient microbes may help us find extraterrestrial life forms

UK Government takes leading role in new space telescope to explore exoplanets









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.