Delivery from Mars: MIT Expert explains what scientists would look for in Martian rocks

NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected a dozen rock samples on Mars which will be brought back to Earth for further analysis. Scientists here will use state-of-the-art technology to examine those samples which are not possible to conduct remotely using the rover. In order to ensure a safe return of those samples, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are working on the Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign under which they will be delivered by 2033. 

MIT expert explains what scientists would look for in the samples

Tanja Bosak, a geobiologist on the rover team at MIT said that scientists would first try to confirm if the dryness on Mars was caused by the absence of a magnetosphere. They would do so by detecting ancient magnetic fields frozen into certain volcanic minerals of the rocks. According to current theory, Mars once had a magnetic field but it eventually got stripped off. And since there was no magnetic field to protect the inner environment, the molecules of water on Mars escaped into space, leaving behind a barren land. He believes that dating when the magnetic field disappeared could bolster that theory.

Recently, NASA announced that the Perseverance rover found the highest amount of organic molecules near its landing site in the Jezero crater, which housed a lake billions of years ago. This sample would also be scrutinised to confirm if the molecules were formed by microbes.

"We’re really looking for evidence of metabolism", Bosak said as per a report in the journal Science. "You hope for an outline of a cell. You will never find peptides and proteins, but lipids can persist", she added. Lipids, as scientists define them, are molecules that contribute to the formation of the cell walls. The mission teams involved in the sampling process are mainly focusing on collecting sediments in the fossilized river delta as the sediments could possibly preserve telltale signs of the red planet's past. 

Meanwhile, NASA's MSR campaign will move into its preliminary design phase this October and the development of technology as well as engineering prototypes is expected to complete in 12 months. Tap here to read all about it.