NASA’s Perseverance discovers potential meteorite Phippsaksla on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover may have encountered a visitor from space; A strange, shiny rock on Mars that scientists think may be a meteorite hammered into the heart of an ancient asteroid.

The rock, nicknamed “Phippsaksla,” stands out from the flat, rugged terrain around it, prompting NASA scientists to take a closer look, according to a new blog post on the rover’s mission page.

Tests revealed high levels of iron and nickel, the same elements found in meteorites that fell on both Mars and Earth.

While this isn’t the first time a rover has detected a metallic rock on Mars, it could be a first for Perseverance. NASA said previous missions including Curiosity, Opportunity and Spirit had discovered iron-nickel meteorites scattered across the surface of Mars, making it even more surprising that Perseverance had not seen such a meteorite before.

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Now, just beyond the crater’s rim, the rover may have finally found one: a metallic rock perched atop ancient bedrock formed by the impact. If confirmed, the discovery would place Perseverance alongside other Mars rovers examining fragments of cosmic visitors to the red planet.

The team aimed Perseverance’s SuperCam (an instrument that fires a laser to analyze a target’s chemical structure) at Phipsaksla to learn more about the rock. Readings showed unusually high levels of iron and nickel; This combination strongly indicates a meteorite origin, NASA said.

Mounted atop the rover’s mast, SuperCam uses its laser to vaporize small pieces of material so sensors can detect elements inside from several meters away.

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Discovered by NASA’s Perseverance rover, the shiny rock nicknamed “Phippsaksla” contained high levels of iron and nickel, consistent with meteorites found on Mars and Earth. (NASA)

NASA said the finding is significant because iron and nickel typically coexist only in meteorites formed deep within ancient asteroids, not in native rocks of Mars.

If confirmed, Phippsaksla would join a long list of meteors identified by previous missions, including Curiosity’s “Lebanon” and “Cocoa” finds, as well as metallic fragments detected by Opportunity and Spirit. Each discovery helps scientists better understand how meteors interact with the Martian surface over time, NASA said.

Because Phipsaksla sits on impact-formed bedrock outside the Jezero crater, NASA scientists said its location could offer clues about how the rock was formed and how it got there.

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NASA scientists say that the metallic rock detected by Perseverance may be a meteorite that formed deep within an ancient asteroid before hitting Mars. (NASA)

The agency said its team is, for now, continuing to study Phipsaksla’s unusual structure to confirm whether it truly came from beyond Mars.

If proven to be an asteroid, the find would mark a long-awaited milestone for Perseverance and a reminder that even on a planet 140 million miles away, there are still surprises waiting in the dust.

Perseverance, NASA’s most advanced robot to date, traveled 293 million miles to reach Mars after launching aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida on July 30, 2020. It touched down in Jezero crater on February 18, 2021, where it spent nearly four years searching for signs of ancient microbial life and exploring the planet’s surface.

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Built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the $2.7 billion rover is approximately 10 feet long, 9 feet wide and 7 feet high; It is roughly 278 pounds heavier than its predecessor, Curiosity.

Powered by a plutonium generator, Perseverance carries seven scientific instruments, a two-meter robotic arm and a rock drill that will allow it to collect samples that could one day return to Earth.

The mission will also help NASA prepare for future human exploration of Mars in the 2030s.