‘Hunt for water’: NASA’s Perseverance tries something never attempted before on Mars
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Rock Smashed
NASA’s Perseverance crushed Martian rocks to reveal untouched minerals—offering new clues on Mars’ ancient water, according to SHERLOC scans published in Science Advances.
Credit : NASA
Sensor Repurposed
Instead of drilling, NASA used Perseverance’s contact sensor—meant to check surfaces—to flatten rock dust, creating a window into Mars’ hidden mineral layers, engineers confirmed in a mission update.
Credit : NASA
Water Traced
Perseverance uncovered serpentine, a mineral formed when water reacts with volcanic rock—hinting Mars may have hosted subsurface water, Dr. Luther Beegle of NASA’s SHERLOC team explains.
Credit : NASA
Life Questioned
Since serpentine on Earth makes hydrogen that powers microbes, scientists like astrobiologist Dr. Abigail Allwood believe these findings hint Mars could have once harbored life.
Credit : NASA
Secrets Flattened
By pressing rock fragments, Perseverance exposed fresh surfaces untouched for eons—unlocking a new way to study Martian geology, NASA engineers revealed in their February mission briefing.
Credit : NASA
Tools Bent
Perseverance’s engineers used a drilling sensor in a way never planned—proof, says JPL lead systems engineer Adam Steltzner, that creative risks are reshaping Mars exploration.
Credit : NASA
Chemistry Exposed
NASA’s compacted rock fragments gave SHERLOC clear readings of minerals shaped by ancient Martian water, sparking new debate about how long water may have lasted on Mars.
Credit : NASA
Rover Improvised
With traditional tools failing to give clear data, Perseverance improvised, using unexpected methods to analyze Mars’ dusty secrets—an innovation that stunned the JPL science team.
Credit : NASA
Mission Shifted
Encouraged by results, NASA now plans to use this “rock smooshing” on older terrains like Witch Hazel Hill, hoping to crack deeper Martian history, per a NASA press release.
Credit : NASA