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Comet Geyser: Perseverance’s 24th Rock Core [1]

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Date: 2024-04 

On Earth, biosignatures can be preserved in carbonate and silica for millions of years, or even billions of years in the case of silica. Some of the oldest evidence we have of life on Earth is from rocks that contain fragments of microbial cells that were “permineralized” by silica, a fossilization process that entombs the residues of ancient life and protects them from degradation. Thus, rocks containing these materials are considered among the highest priority samples for investigating whether Jezero crater was once host to microbial life. Perseverance’s 24th core sample at Bunsen Peak represents a significant milestone towards collection of a scientifically diverse set of samples for eventual return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return mission.

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[1] Url: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance/comet-geyser-perseverances-24th-rock-core/

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