NASA’s Perseverance Rover May Have Discovered an Alien Rock on Mars
JEZERO CRATER, MARS – NASA’s Perseverance rover has potentially discovered an iron-nickel meteorite within Jezero crater, a find that could shed new light on the history of impacts on the Red Planet and add to a small but growing collection of extraterrestrial visitors studied on Mars. The unusual rock,nicknamed “Phippsaksla,” is currently under examination to confirm its origins.
While past Mars missions - including Curiosity, Chance, and Spirit – have previously identified meteorites like “Lebanon” (discovered in 2014) and “Cacao” (spotted in 2023) within Gale Crater, located roughly 2,300 miles away, Perseverance had yet to find one despite exploring a crater of similar age and with numerous smaller impact craters. This finding is notable because it could help scientists understand the distribution of meteorites across Mars and the processes that have altered them over time. If confirmed, Perseverance will join the ranks of rovers that have analyzed fragments from beyond our planet.
the potential meteorite was observed by Perseverance’s camera, and NASA noted the unexpected nature of the find. “As such, it has been somewhat unexpected that Perseverance had not seen iron-nickel meteorites within Jezero Crater, notably given its similar age to gale crater and number of smaller impact craters suggesting that meteorites did fall on the crater floor, delta and crater rim throughout time,” NASA stated.
Further analysis is needed to definitively classify the rock as a meteorite.If confirmed, Perseverance will be able to study the composition and structure of this extraterrestrial material, providing valuable insights into the early solar system and the potential for delivering organic molecules to Mars.