Two of NASA's science objectives for its Perseverance rover, which has been exploring the surface of Mars since 2021, are to look for evidence of past microbial life and to collect samples of core rock and regolith (loose rocks and soil) to be returned to Earth later. These two objectives have just come together in the best possible way. As Perseverance was surveying a riverbed, it came upon a vein-filled rock NASA has now nicknamed "Cheyava Falls" after a Grand Canyon Waterfall. Analysis of the rock by Perseverance's onboard equipment shows that it contains organic compounds, the building blocks of life.
Morgan Cable of the Perseverance team explains:
The instruments on Perseverance have completed all the testing possible from the Martian surface. Samples need to be returned to Earth to determine if this "intriguing Mars rock" is indeed evidence that there was once life on Mars. That's where things get complicated. The Mars Sample Return Mission, a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency, is in jeopardy.
In March, NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced that a study had determined that completing the project as planned would be too expensive and take too long. NASA put out a request for proposals in the hopes of finding an "out of the box" proposal for returning the samples that Perseverance has been diligently collecting. Seven companies were selected to go forward with ninety-day studies of their proposals. NASA recently canceled the $450 million VIPER lunar rover, dooming the already completed vehicle to the scrap heap. Perseverance's scientists are pulling out all the stops to prevent a similar fate for their mission.
Bonus: If you have ever wanted to take apart and repair Perseverance or the other Mars rovers, I have the game for you: Rover Mechanic Mechanic Simulator. It's fun. Seriously.
Previously: Watch NASA's Perseverance rover land on Mars!
