NASA’s Perseverance rover has been busy on Mars, using its advanced toolkit to examine a mysterious rock known as Kenmore. The rover removed debris from the surface and scraped away a portion of the rock, revealing its inner structure.
Caltech professor Ken Farley, who is part of the mission’s deputy project team, described Kenmore as “a weird, uncooperative rock.” However, after using a specialized tool called gDRT to clean the rock’s outer layers, scientists were able to examine its composition and find new insights.
The rover used a suite of sophisticated sensors, including WATSON and SuperCam, to analyze the rock’s minerals and chemical properties. The findings revealed that Kenmore contains clay minerals and water as hydroxide molecules coupled with iron and magnesium.
These discoveries shed light on the geological history of Mars and will help future missions better understand the planet’s composition. The Perseverance rover has already set a new record for autonomous driving, covering over 411 meters in one session.
By studying rocks like Kenmore, scientists can gain valuable knowledge about how to prepare for potential samples, extract hydrogen and oxygen for fuel, or use Martian materials as habitat construction material. As the mission continues, researchers will refine their techniques to unlock more secrets of the Red Planet.
Source: https://vocal.media/futurism/one-rock-at-a-time-revealing-mars-s-buried-history