On the planet that has become the “tombstone” of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, its companion has made a groundbreaking discovery at a depth of 20 meters.
A new “treasure” has been uncovered by a research team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) amid the vast dataset collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover before a serious incident occurred with its companion, Ingenuity.
According to Space.com, using the RIMFAX device attached to it, Perseverance has “peered” deep into the sedimentary layers beneath Jezero Crater, a massive impact site on the surface of Mars.
Jezero Crater filled with water and life over 3 billion years ago – (Graphic: NASA).
NASA has long considered Jezero Crater to be the remnants of an ancient lake, connected to a complex network of rivers surrounding it.
RIMFAX sent radar waves downwards, measuring the reflected pulses from depths of up to 20 meters below the surface to study the structures underneath.
This data confirmed that sediments deposited by water once filled Jezero Crater. And when that occurred, the area was teeming with life.
This suggests that sediment samples from this region may contain traces of past life on the red planet – a “treasure” that NASA has spent billions of dollars searching for.
UCLA scientists identified two distinct sedimentation phases, cyclically repeating, resulting in layers of sediment resembling regular cake layers. This phenomenon is entirely familiar, as it has been observed on Earth, where sediment deposition varies by season.
The seasonal fluctuations of the ancient lake’s water levels on Mars facilitated the gradual formation of a vast plain, which Perseverance traversed from May to December 2022.
This recently published discovery in the scientific journal Science Advances also brings great news, as Perseverance is designed to collect and analyze samples.
This robot also leaves behind sample tubes along its route that future NASA missions will collect and return to Earth, where there are conditions for more detailed analysis.
Perseverance – a rover lander – and its companion, the Ingenuity robot helicopter, landed on Mars in February 2021, with the mission of searching for evidence of life.
Ingenuity plays a role as a low-altitude scout, helping to identify areas that Perseverance – slower but equipped with more “tools” – will investigate in detail.
Recently, on January 25, the mission of Ingenuity came to an end after this tiny helicopter suffered rotor damage during its 72nd flight.
Despite this, Ingenuity remains an extraordinarily successful mission, as it was only designed for a 30-day operation. However, it has exceeded expectations by accompanying Perseverance for the past three years.
Perseverance itself has a primary mission of about two Earth years, but so far it is still functioning perfectly.
