WASHINGTON – Core samples drilled by NASA’s Perseverance rover on the Martian surface are revealing the geology of a gaping crater scientists suspect may have harbored microbial life billions of years ago, including surprises about the nature of the rock present there. The samples, obtained by the car-sized, six-wheeled robotic rover and stored for future transport to Earth for further study, showed that rock from four sites inside Jezero crater is igneous – formed by the cooling of molten material. The rocks also bore evidence of alteration through exposure to…
Rock-hunting NASA rover reveals Martian crater’s surprising geology
