NASA on Tuesday said its Perseverance has found some rocks on Mars that are densely covered with tiny spheres that the agency is jokingly calling 'popcorn'. In its latest update, NASA said Perseverance has finally reached 'Bright Angel' and is exploring these peculiarly textured rocks on Mars – never seen before. The team now plans to head down the slope to uncover the origin of this rock sequence and its relationship with the margin unit, it said.
Bright Angel is an area of scientific interest. It is named for its light coloured rocks, which are thought to be ancient rocks exposed by the river that once flowed here.
The popcorn-like texture has fascinated the science team's geologists. NASA said, “These rocks are full of sharp edges that resemble the mineral veins found at the base of a fan, but there seem to be more of them here. In addition, some of the rocks are densely packed with tiny spheres, and we jokingly called this the 'popcorn' texture. Together, these features suggest that groundwater flowed through these rocks after they formed.”
Now Perseverance will slowly climb up the rock and take measurements as it goes. Over the weekend, the abrasion instrument will be used to get a closer look and obtain detailed chemical information using instruments mounted on the rover's arm. With this data, the team will decide whether to take a sample. After our exploration at 'Bright Angel' is complete, we will drive south across the Neretva Vallis and explore a site called 'Serpentine Rapids.'
Bright Angel is an area of scientific interest. It is named for its light coloured rocks, which are thought to be ancient rocks exposed by the river that once flowed here.
The popcorn-like texture has fascinated the science team's geologists. NASA said, “These rocks are full of sharp edges that resemble the mineral veins found at the base of a fan, but there seem to be more of them here. In addition, some of the rocks are densely packed with tiny spheres, and we jokingly called this the 'popcorn' texture. Together, these features suggest that groundwater flowed through these rocks after they formed.”
Now Perseverance will slowly climb up the rock and take measurements as it goes. Over the weekend, the abrasion instrument will be used to get a closer look and obtain detailed chemical information using instruments mounted on the rover's arm. With this data, the team will decide whether to take a sample. After our exploration at 'Bright Angel' is complete, we will drive south across the Neretva Vallis and explore a site called 'Serpentine Rapids.'
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