<p>Mars, the red planet has puzzled scientists once again. NASA's Perseverance rover which has been exploring Mars' Jezero Crater since early 2021 has discovered thousands of white rocks strewn across its surface. Recently delivered images by the rover show over 4,000 light-toned, pebble-sized "unusual" rocks scattered throughout the crater floor.</p>

<p>"These rocks are very unusual, and we're trying to understand their origin," said Candice Bedford, a planetary scientist at Purdue University and a member of the Mars 2020 science team, during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) last month.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/james-webb-captures-creation-of-third-world-and-birth-of-moons-400-light-years-away-707585">James Webb captures creation of 'third world' and birth of moons 400 light-years away</a></strong></p>

<p>This comes as NASA completes an architectural review of its Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, which aims to bring Martian rocks back to Earth for analysis.</p>

<h2><strong>Analysis of rocks found THIS</strong></h2>

<p>Initial analysis of the rocks by Perseverance's instruments revealed that they are dehydrated. Not only do they lack water content, but also other minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, and sodium.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"These rocks are pretty depleted in a lot of things," Bedford noted.</p>

<p>She suggests that the dehydrated nature of the rocks indicates they were heated and metamorphosed by processes like lava flows or asteroid impacts elsewhere on Mars before being deposited in the crater.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-names-three-companies-to-develop-rover-that-astronauts-will-drive-on-moon-707655">NASA names three companies to develop rover that astronauts will drive on Moon</a></strong></p>

<p>The team is keen to understand the origins of these rocks, in order to provide insights into Mars' past, including the timing of water presence in the Jezero crater, which is now a dry landscape.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Perseverance, which has covered over 15 miles (24.8 kilometers) on Mars, celebrated its 1,000th day on the planet in&nbsp;December last year. It has filled 26 of its 43 sample tubes with Martian rock samples, which could be studied extensively.</p>

<p>"Each sample has innumerable grains that we could potentially study for forever, essentially," said Benjamin Weiss, a professor of planetary sciences at MIT and a member of the Mars 2020 team.</p>

<p>As part of a bonus mission, Perseverance has started moving towards the Jezero Crater rim, where its long-distance camera has already spotted more light-toned rocks. Scientists believe the crater rim and beyond hold unique geology, including rocks that could provide clues about Mars' early climate and the possibility of past life.</p>

<p>Returning these samples to Earth is crucial for scientists to fully understand Mars' history. "It will revolutionize our understanding of Mars," said Benjamin Weiss.</p>

<h2><strong>Mars Sample Return (MSR) programme</strong></h2>

<p>NASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) program is spearheading the effort to bring these samples back to Earth. Questions remain about the program, including the timeline and approach for returning the samples. A response team (MIRT) was commissioned to evaluate alternative approaches after an independent review board (IRB) found issues with the current plan. NASA's budget for MSR is yet to be finalised, with a revised plan and budget expected in April.</p>


Mars, the red planet has puzzled scientists once again. NASA's Perseverance rover which has been exploring Mars' Jezero Crater since early 2021 has discovered thousands of white rocks strewn across its surface.

Mars, the red planet has puzzled scientists once again. NASA's Perseverance rover which has been exploring Mars' Jezero Crater since early 2021 has discovered thousands of white rocks strewn across its surface. Recently delivered images by the rover show over 4,000 light-toned, pebble-sized "unusual" rocks scattered throughout the crater floor. "These rocks are very unusual, and we're trying to understand their origin," said Candice Bedford, a planetary scientist at Purdue University and a member of the Mars 2020 science team, during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) last month. Also read | James Webb captures creation of 'third world' and birth of moons 400 light-years away This comes as NASA completes an architectural review of its Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, which aims to bring Martian rocks back to Earth for analysis. Analysis of rocks found THIS Initial analysis of the rocks by Perseverance's instruments revealed that they are dehydrated. Not only do they lack water content, but also other minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. "These rocks are pretty depleted in a lot of things," Bedford noted. She suggests that the dehydrated nature of the rocks indicates they were heated and metamorphosed by processes like lava flows or asteroid impacts elsewhere on Mars before being deposited in the crater. Also read | NASA names three companies to develop rover that astronauts will drive on Moon The team is keen to understand the origins of these rocks, in order to provide insights into Mars' past, including the timing of water presence in the Jezero crater, which is now a dry landscape. Perseverance, which has covered over 15 miles (24.8 kilometers) on Mars, celebrated its 1,000th day on the planet in December last year. It has filled 26 of its 43 sample tubes with Martian rock samples, which could be studied extensively. "Each sample has innumerable grains that we could potentially study for forever, essentially," said Benjamin Weiss, a professor of planetary sciences at MIT and a member of the Mars 2020 team. As part of a bonus mission, Perseverance has started moving towards the Jezero Crater rim, where its long-distance camera has already spotted more light-toned rocks. Scientists believe the crater rim and beyond hold unique geology, including rocks that could provide clues about Mars' early climate and the possibility of past life. Returning these samples to Earth is crucial for scientists to fully understand Mars' history. "It will revolutionize our understanding of Mars," said Benjamin Weiss. Mars Sample Return (MSR) programme NASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) program is spearheading the effort to bring these samples back to Earth. Questions remain about the program, including the timeline and approach for returning the samples. A response team (MIRT) was commissioned to evaluate alternative approaches after an independent review board (IRB) found issues with the current plan. NASA's budget for MSR is yet to be finalised, with a revised plan and budget expected in April.

NASA's Perseverance rover spots thousands of 'unusual' white rocks on Mars

<p>Scientists have said in new studies that the core of Mars can look bigger than it actually is because of a previously unknown layer of molten rock which is surrounding it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The researchers have said that the pair of studies may finally solve a mystery from two years ago about how the centre of Mars appeared surprisingly large and soft.&nbsp;</p>

<p>To carry out the study, the team of scientists analysed seismic waves on the planet by using sensors on NASA's InSight lander, which touched down on the Red Planet in 2018.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The researchers hoped to find insights into the planet's inner structure by studying the seismic waves that rippled through Martian rock after a meteorite slammed into Mars in September 2021.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The findings were reported on Thursday (Oct 26) in two papers in Nature Journal. It mentioned that the researchers have discovered a layer of molten rock that envelops Mars's liquid-metal core.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/three-stars-mysteriously-disappear-in-1952-no-trace-of-them-yet-herere-some-theories-651460">Three stars mysteriously disappeared in 1952, no trace of them yet. Here're some theories</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>In the report, Nature mentioned that the seismic waves which are produced by quakes or impacts can slow down or speed up depending on what type&nbsp;of material they are travelling through.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hence, seismologists can measure the waves' passage in order to understand the details of the interior of a planet and what it looks like.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Researchers used the same technique on Earth as they probed the earthquakes to discover the planet's layers which are: a brittle outer crust, a mostly solid mantle, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ever since its landing on the Red Planet, InSight's seismometer has recorded many observations of Mars-quake, in fact, it was also the first to detect marsquakes.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-evidence-mars-was-once-a-planet-of-rivers-651444">NASA Curiosity rover finds evidence, Mars was once a 'planet of rivers'</a></strong></p>

<p>On the basis of the mission's observations of quakes in July 2021, researchers established the fact that the liquid core of Mars seemed to have a radius of around 1,830 kilometres, which was bigger than many scientists were expecting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The finding also suggested that the core has surprisingly high amounts of light chemical elements, such as sulfur, mixed with iron.</p>

<p>But Henri Samuel, who is a geophysicist at the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris and lead author of one of the papers, said that the September 2021 meteorite impact "unlocked everything".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"A second liquid layer inside the planet also meshes better with other evidence, such as how Mars responds to being deformed by the gravitational tug of its moon Phobos," Nature had written.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In another paper, the same conclusions were made as the team, independent of Samuel's, agreed that Mars'&nbsp;core is surrounded by a layer of molten rock. However, they estimated that the core has a radius of 1,675 kilometres.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Its lead author, Amir Khan, who is a geophysicist at ETH Zurich, said that having molten rock right up against molten iron "appears to be unique".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"You have this peculiarity of liquid–liquid layering, which is something that doesn't exist on Earth," he added.&nbsp;</p>


Scientists have said in new studies that the core of Mars can look bigger than it actually is because of a previously unknown layer of molten rock which is surrounding it.

Scientists have said in new studies that the core of Mars can look bigger than it actually is because of a previously unknown layer of molten rock which is surrounding it. The researchers have said that the pair of studies may finally solve a mystery from two years ago about how the centre of Mars appeared surprisingly large and soft. To carry out the study, the team of scientists analysed seismic waves on the planet by using sensors on NASA's InSight lander, which touched down on the Red Planet in 2018. The researchers hoped to find insights into the planet's inner structure by studying the seismic waves that rippled through Martian rock after a meteorite slammed into Mars in September 2021. The findings were reported on Thursday (Oct 26) in two papers in Nature Journal. It mentioned that the researchers have discovered a layer of molten rock that envelops Mars's liquid-metal core. Also read: Three stars mysteriously disappeared in 1952, no trace of them yet. Here're some theories In the report, Nature mentioned that the seismic waves which are produced by quakes or impacts can slow down or speed up depending on what type of material they are travelling through. Hence, seismologists can measure the waves' passage in order to understand the details of the interior of a planet and what it looks like. Researchers used the same technique on Earth as they probed the earthquakes to discover the planet's layers which are: a brittle outer crust, a mostly solid mantle, a liquid outer core, and a solid inner core. Ever since its landing on the Red Planet, InSight's seismometer has recorded many observations of Mars-quake, in fact, it was also the first to detect marsquakes. Also read: NASA Curiosity rover finds evidence, Mars was once a 'planet of rivers' On the basis of the mission's observations of quakes in July 2021, researchers established the fact that the liquid core of Mars seemed to have a radius of around 1,830 kilometres, which was bigger than many scientists were expecting. The finding also suggested that the core has surprisingly high amounts of light chemical elements, such as sulfur, mixed with iron. But Henri Samuel, who is a geophysicist at the Institute of Earth Physics of Paris and lead author of one of the papers, said that the September 2021 meteorite impact "unlocked everything". "A second liquid layer inside the planet also meshes better with other evidence, such as how Mars responds to being deformed by the gravitational tug of its moon Phobos," Nature had written. In another paper, the same conclusions were made as the team, independent of Samuel's, agreed that Mars' core is surrounded by a layer of molten rock. However, they estimated that the core has a radius of 1,675 kilometres. Its lead author, Amir Khan, who is a geophysicist at ETH Zurich, said that having molten rock right up against molten iron "appears to be unique". "You have this peculiarity of liquid–liquid layering, which is something that doesn't exist on Earth," he added.

Researchers say a surprise layer of molten rock envelops Mars' liquid-metal core

<p>Is that the face of a bear on Mars?&nbsp;</p>

<p>A satellite image of the surface of Mars has baffled Twitterati after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) posted a picture of a fragment of the surface of Mars that looked like a bear. &nbsp;</p>

<p>NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the bear-looking image on December 12. The snap was shared by the University of Arizona earlier this week.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/radiation-alert-in-australia-as-hunt-for-lost-caesium-137-mining-capsule-on-how-can-it-hurt-you-556727">Radiation alert in Australia after Caesium-137 capsule goes missing, here's HOW it can hurt you</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>The University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory said: "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater."&nbsp;</p>

<p>While explaining the image, which looks like a bear, the laboratory said that "maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows?"&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">HiPOD: A Bear on Mars?<br />
<br />
This feature looks a bit like a bear’s face. What is it really?<br />
<br />
More: <a href="https://t.co/MpLQBg38ur">https://t.co/MpLQBg38ur</a><br />
<br />
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mars</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/science?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#science</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NASA</a> <a href="https://t.co/2WUNquTUZH">https://t.co/2WUNquTUZH</a> <a href="https://t.co/1k2ZnLcJ5o">pic.twitter.com/1k2ZnLcJ5o</a></p>
— HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) <a href="https://twitter.com/HiRISE/status/1618247829847261184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The image become a matter of discussion as a few online users called it an Angry Bird and a few others said it looked like a Doge meme of a Shiba Inu.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;Gravitas: Scientists adjust 'doomsday clock' to 90 seconds from midnight&nbsp;</strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-scientists-adjust-doomsday-clock-to-90-seconds-from-midnight-555992/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/private-firm-agnikul-to-launch-indias-first-kerosene-oxygen-powered-rocket-agnibaan-in-march-556412">Private firm Agnikul to launch India's first kerosene-oxygen powered rocket 'Agnibaan' in March</a>&nbsp;</strong></p>

<h2>'Mysterious' flying spiral&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Recently, a bizarre blue 'mysterious flying spiral' was captured in the Hawaiian sky by a Japanese telescope camera. The spiral appeared to be otherworldly at the first glance, but there's more to it. The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera captured the eerie video, which disappeared within seconds. It was seen over Maunakea, Hawaii on January 18.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The spiral seems to be related to the SpaceX company's launch of a new satellite. Reports mentioned that SpaceX launched a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) into space for the US Space Force on January 18.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ko8FhK_3tfM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<p>You can <strong>now write for wionews.com</strong> and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.</strong></p>


Is that the face of a bear on Mars? A satellite image of the surface of Mars has baffled Twitterati after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) posted a picture of a fragment of the surface of Mars that looked like a bear.

Is that the face of a bear on Mars? A satellite image of the surface of Mars has baffled Twitterati after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) posted a picture of a fragment of the surface of Mars that looked like a bear. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the bear-looking image on December 12. The snap was shared by the University of Arizona earlier this week. ALSO READ | Radiation alert in Australia after Caesium-137 capsule goes missing, here's HOW it can hurt you The University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory said: "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater." While explaining the image, which looks like a bear, the laboratory said that "maybe the nose is a volcanic or mud vent and the deposit could be lava or mud flows?" HiPOD: A Bear on Mars? This feature looks a bit like a bear’s face. What is it really? More: https://t.co/MpLQBg38ur NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona#Mars #science #NASA https://t.co/2WUNquTUZH pic.twitter.com/1k2ZnLcJ5o — HiRISE: Beautiful Mars (NASA) (@HiRISE) January 25, 2023 × The image become a matter of discussion as a few online users called it an Angry Bird and a few others said it looked like a Doge meme of a Shiba Inu. WATCH | Gravitas: Scientists adjust 'doomsday clock' to 90 seconds from midnight × ALSO READ | Private firm Agnikul to launch India's first kerosene-oxygen powered rocket 'Agnibaan' in March 'Mysterious' flying spiral Recently, a bizarre blue 'mysterious flying spiral' was captured in the Hawaiian sky by a Japanese telescope camera. The spiral appeared to be otherworldly at the first glance, but there's more to it. The Subaru-Asahi Star Camera captured the eerie video, which disappeared within seconds. It was seen over Maunakea, Hawaii on January 18. The spiral seems to be related to the SpaceX company's launch of a new satellite. Reports mentioned that SpaceX launched a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) into space for the US Space Force on January 18. × WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

A bear on Mars? This satellite image of Mars surface stuns netizens

<p>NASA's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/nasa-counts-down-to-landing-of-martian-quake-sensor-insight-178934">InSight spacecraft</a>, the first robotic lander designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, touched down safely on the surface of Mars on Monday with instruments to detect planetary seismic rumblings never measured anywhere but Earth.</p>

<p>The landing data and initial photograph were relayed to Earth from two briefcase-sized satellites that were launched along with InSight and were flying past Mars as it reached its destination.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our Mars Odyssey orbiter phoned home, relaying news from <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAInSight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAInSight</a> indicating its solar panels are open &amp; collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. Also in the dispatch: this snapshot from the lander's arm showing the instruments in their new home: <a href="https://t.co/WygR5X2Px4">https://t.co/WygR5X2Px4</a> <a href="https://t.co/UwzBsu8BNe">pic.twitter.com/UwzBsu8BNe</a></p>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1067257207799103488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The twin "Cubesats" tagging along for the flight to Mars represented the first deep-space use of a miniature satellite technology that space engineers see as a promising low-cost alternative to some larger, more complex vehicles.</p>

<p>The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took the picture of the Martian surface on November 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The camera's transparent dust cover is still on in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera's lens. This image was relayed from InSight to Earth via NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars.</p>

<p>(With agency inputs)</p>


NASA's InSight spacecraft, the first robotic lander designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, touched down safely on the surface of Mars on Monday with instruments to detect planetary seismic rumblings never measured anywhere but Earth.

NASA's InSight spacecraft, the first robotic lander designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, touched down safely on the surface of Mars on Monday with instruments to detect planetary seismic rumblings never measured anywhere but Earth. The landing data and initial photograph were relayed to Earth from two briefcase-sized satellites that were launched along with InSight and were flying past Mars as it reached its destination. Our Mars Odyssey orbiter phoned home, relaying news from @NASAInSight indicating its solar panels are open & collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. Also in the dispatch: this snapshot from the lander's arm showing the instruments in their new home: https://t.co/WygR5X2Px4 pic.twitter.com/UwzBsu8BNe — NASA (@NASA) November 27, 2018 × The twin "Cubesats" tagging along for the flight to Mars represented the first deep-space use of a miniature satellite technology that space engineers see as a promising low-cost alternative to some larger, more complex vehicles. The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took the picture of the Martian surface on November 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. The camera's transparent dust cover is still on in this image, to prevent particulates kicked up during landing from settling on the camera's lens. This image was relayed from InSight to Earth via NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, currently orbiting Mars. (With agency inputs)

NASA's InSight sends first picture from Mars surface after safe landing

mars-surface

Mars Surface, News on Mars Surface, stories on Mars Surface, articles on Mars Surface, Mars Surface stories at Wion, Mars Surface news, Mars Surface latest news

mars surface

NASA's Perseverance rover spots thousands of 'unusual' white rocks on Mars

Researchers say a surprise layer of molten rock envelops Mars' liquid-metal core

A bear on Mars? This satellite image of Mars surface stuns netizens

NASA's InSight sends first picture from Mars surface after safe landing