Organic matter on the surface could indicate life on Mars

According to NASA scientists, the Perseverance probe, NASA’s mission to Mars since 2020, has taken important samples on the planet’s surface to determine if it can support life.

The rover investigated an ancient river delta site, where the mouth consists of several channels or arms, and collected organic matter, indicating that Jezero Crater had potentially habitable environments 3.5 billion years ago.

The instrument’s analysis revealed that the organic minerals are likely aromatic, or stable molecules of carbon and hydrogen, which are bound to sulfates. Sulfate minerals, often found between layers of sedimentary rocks, preserve information about the aquatic environments in which they formed.

Organic molecules are of interest on Mars because they are the building blocks of life, such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, as well as nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur. Not all organic molecules need life to form because some can be created through chemical processes.

The location of the delta makes the 45-kilometre-long crater of interest to NASA scientists. The geological feature of space preserves layers of Mars’ history in sedimentary rocks, which were formed when particles fused together in a previously water-filled environment.

“The rocks we’re investigating in the delta contain the highest concentration of organic matter we’ve ever found on the mission,” said Ken Farley, a perseverance project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The probe’s mission, which began on the Red Planet 18 months ago, involves searching for signs of ancient microbial life. Perseverance is collecting rock samples that can preserve these vital fingerprints. There are currently 12 rock specimens.

A series of missions called Mars Sample Return will bring the group back to Earth in the 2030s.