Illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover operating on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Ancient rocks from the Isle of Rum in northwest Scotland are playing an important role in an international space mission to discover more about Mars. Illustration of NASA's Perseverance rover operating on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech It's amazing to think that somewhere right here in the UK might be able to tell us something about the geology of a different planet Helen Williams A group of scientists, including from the University of Cambridge, have this week been collecting samples of rock from the NatureScot National Nature Reserve (NNR) as part of the NASA and European Space Agency (ESA)-s Mars Sample Return Program. The program is gathering samples of rocks from around the world that bear a similarity to those on Mars, ahead of rock samples from the Red Planet being brought back to Earth in 2033. Rum has been selected as the only UK site for sampling, and is a high priority in the program, as some of its igneous rocks have a very similar mineral and chemical content to those that have been collected by NASA's Perseverance Rover during its exploration of an ancient lakebed on Mars. Intensive study of the rocks from Rum and around the globe will crucially help scientists understand what methods of testing and analysis will work best in readiness for when the Martian rocks return to Earth. As the first samples from another world, the Mars rocks are thought to present the best opportunity to reveal clues about the early evolution of the planet, including the potential for past life.
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