Everything NASA Has Found On Mars So Far

Everything NASA Has Found On Mars So Far

Mars, our neighbour planet, has been the subject of many discussions for a while now. Chief among them is that maybe someday mankind’s first exodus off the planet would see us establishing colonies on Mars. To this end, we’ve been getting to know the red planet little by little through data collected by both of the Rovers on its surface. In this video, you’ll get to know all the details of Mars gathered so far, so hang on tight as you take a tour through the 4th planet in our solar system.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover recently landed on Mars, to join NASA’s Curiosity rover which has been on the Red Planet for years now. With these, NASA has been able to identify a lot of specifications about the red planet, and has even carried out the first demonstration of powered flight on Mars. The Perseverance Rover has been doing as much geology as it can, taking pictures of the Martian surface and analysing nearby rocks. The rocks have been revealed to be shaped by wind and water, but still, there are no signs of past life. Further research on these rocks have shown that they are chemically similar to volcanic rocks on earth.

From the landing site at Jezero Crater, the Perseverance Rover has been busy on the Martian soil, and while it has not fully begun its main science experiments, there is much to hope for in the coming months. We know that Jezero is the perfect location for such work, and have discovered that the 48-kilometre wide crater had a big lake and a river delta years ago. The rover discovered light colored rocks slightly out from dark soil and, with a laser-based instrument, it determined that these rocks are chemically similar to basalt rocks, made from molten rock on earth. The team of scientists named these rocks Maaz, meaning Mars, and Yeehgo, an alternative spelling for diligent. Further tests have also revealed that Yeehgo has signs of water locked up in its mineral composition. With the laser-based instrument, the Perseverance zaps at rocks with the laser which vaporizes little portions and goes on to study their chemical components.