NASA scientists made an unexpected discovery on Mars—a strange shaped rock given the name “Phippsaksla” that may not have originated on the red planet at all. While surveying bedrock at a site called Vernodden, NASA’s Perseverance rover came across the 31-inch-wide formation rising above the flat, fragmented landscape. A scan revealed the rock was loaded with iron and nickel, an element combo typically linked to iron-nickel meteorites formed in the cores of large asteroids. NASA believes the strange rock may have crash-landed on Mars, but said further tests are needed to confirm whether it is truly a meteorite. As part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, the agency’s Perseverance rover landed in the Jezero Crater in February 2021, where it has been seeking signs of ancient life and collecting samples of Mars rock for potential future return to Earth. Scientists are particularly interested in this region because they believe the crater may once have been filled with water, making it one of the most promising places to search for signs of life.
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