Perseverance rover unveils "popcorn rocks" amid Martian quest

NASA's Perseverance rover has been gathering valuable information about Mars since 2021. On its journey, its numerous locations might hold traces of ancient life. According to NASA, Perseverance has just left Mount Washburn and arrived at an area known as Bright Angel, where it discovered a unique type of rock. Scientists, due to its appearance, call it "popcorn rock." Its existence is further evidence that there was once water in Jezero Crater.

NASA's Perseverance rover has been searching for traces of ancient life on Mars for several years. Its main area of interest is Jezero Crater, selected by scientists as a region of the Red Planet where the ancient environment could have supported microbiological life. The rover, equipped with specialized instruments, including a special drill and robotic arm, collects samples of Martian rocks and sediments to send to Earth eventually.

NASA reports that Perseverance is currently focused on studying the Bright Angel area. This area is characterized by bright rocky outcrops that may represent ancient rocks exposed due to river erosion or sediments filling a channel. The team hopes to find rocks different from those in the carbonate—and olivine-rich marginal unit and gather more clues about Jezero's history.

Already, it has observed "popcorn rocks," named by experts due to their shape and distribution. According to NASA, these are rocks unlike any previously seen by Perseverance. Their existence may further prove that Jezero Crater was once filled with water. After exploring the Bright Angel area, NASA will direct the rover to Serpentine Rapids.

The material that Perseverance collects during its Martian journey will be sent to Earth in the future as part of the Mars Sample Return mission, which will be carried out by NASA and ESA. The plan involves launching a container with samples from the surface of Mars and capturing them in orbit by a specially prepared spacecraft. It will safely deliver the samples to Earth, which will most likely happen in the early 2030s.