Perseverance rover samples suggest Mars had water for a long time

The first rock samples from the Perseverance rover from Mars are already providing information. Early analyzes of the samples from NASA researchers indicate that water has been present in Jezero Crater for “a long time” – think tens of thousands or millions of years. This, in turn, suggests that the water on Mars was stable enough to make it relatively welcoming to microscopic life.

The mission team also detected crucial salts that may have formed when water passed through the rock sampled. The salt would not only have trapped pockets of ancient water from Mars, but could have preserved signs of life.

The two samples so far come from a single rock. It will take much longer to develop a better understanding of the secrets of Mars. Perseverance will not even collect samples at its next location, South Séitah, until a week-long hiatus where all missions on the planet will enter a “protective” state until the end of a Martian solar conjunction. The break should go into effect for everyone in early October. Samples will not return to Earth until future missions collect the samples left behind by Perseverance.

Even so, the early data bodes well for the Perseverance mission – the team has already uncovered some useful information about the history of Mars. These and other discoveries could not only reshape humanity’s understanding of the planet, but also set the direction of future Mars exploration missions.