WATCHING THE SKIES: Oct. 12-18 | Indicators of life on Mars

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Brad Klein evaluations upcoming astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s “Backyard Astronomy Guy,” Marty McGuire.

This week, a more in-depth take a look at pictures taken by the Mars rover Perseverance. According to NASA, they might have discovered essentially the most persuasive proof but of a historical past of microbial life exterior of Earth.

Perseverance is a robotic rover that has earned its identify. It’s been shifting over the floor of Mars since touchdown in early 2021.

But in the summertime of final yr, it positioned and analyzed a rock on the floor of the planet that scientists say suggests proof of historical microbial life, in keeping with McGuire.

“These aren’t little inexperienced aliens working across the planet Mars,” McGuire said. “But these ‘biosignatures’ are substances or buildings that they’ve detected by the cameras and drilling gear on the rover which may have a organic origin.”

At a information convention final month, Sean Duffy, the performing administrator of NASA, stated this “could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars.”

The rock appears to contain minerals that, on Earth, are formed by microbial life. The problem is this: getting Martian rock samples to a laboratory millions of miles away.

Perseverance has collected a number of rock and soil samples, but the mission that was planned to return them to Earth has been put on hold for budgetary reasons. Whether or not the Mars Sample Return mission will ever be revived remains an open question.