Sometimes Mars feels like the setting for a Dr. Seuss book, full of fantastical shapes and strange landscape features that seem to defy gravity. NASA is an eyewitness to just how weird Mars can be as evidenced by a “mushroom” rock spotted by the Perseverance rover.There’s a lot we can learn from a tiny mushroom-shaped rock. Caltech doctoral student Hemani Kalucha highlighted the unusual rock in aon March 11. Look closely and you’ll see a thin stalk with a rounded “cap” on the top.
One of the goals of the Perseverance mission is to understand if life ever existed on Mars. The rover isn’t equipped to answer that question on its own, so it’s been collecting rock samples for future return to Earth. NASA’s proposed, however, is in financial limbo. If NASA pulls it off, it will put Martian rocks into labs so scientists can look for evidence of ancient microbial life.
Mars has a way of surprising space fans. NASA’s Curiosity rover—which is exploring a different crater on the red planet—encountered a suspendedKalucha described the mushroom-like formation as “my favorite rock on the mission so far.” That’s high praise considering the incredible sights Perseverance has sent back since arriving on Mars in early 2021. The rover photographed some goofy-looking rocks that resemble.