NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has been studying a mysterious Martian rock, nicknamed “Kenmore,” which was subjected to an in-depth analysis. The rover used its suite of instruments to determine the rock’s mineralogic makeup and geologic origin.
The science team was thrilled with the results, which revealed that Kenmore contains clay minerals, iron, and magnesium – all relatively typical of ancient Mars clay minerals. The abrasion spectra showed enhancements in iron and magnesium, providing valuable insights into the rock’s composition.
To analyze the rock, Perseverance used its Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), a diamond-dust-tipped grinder that spins at 3,000 revolutions per minute. After grinding away an abrasion patch, the rover’s gaseous Dust Removal Tool (gDRT) blew away the debris, allowing the WATSON imager and SuperCam instrument to get up close and personal with the rock.
SuperCam fired thousands of individual pulses from its laser, using a spectrometer to determine the makeup of the plume of microscopic material liberated after every zap. The SHERLOC and PIXL instruments also took a crack at Kenmore, detecting feldspar and manganese hydroxide mineral in the abrasion.
The successful data collection from rocks like Kenmore will help future missions better understand Martian geology and improve their chances of finding suitable materials for construction or fuel production.
Perseverance recently bested its previous record for distance traveled in a single autonomous drive, trekking 1,348 feet (411 meters) on June 19. The rover’s self-driving system, AutoNav, allowed it to cut down driving time between areas of scientific interest.
The mission has provided valuable insights into Martian geology and paved the way for future Mars missions to learn from the successes and challenges faced by Perseverance.
Source: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-scours-mars-for-science