NASA has some exciting new results from the Perseverance rover, and they will be presented during a press conference on Wednesday, September 10. The call for a press conference is exciting as it suggests that there is something really juicy to be showcased with a new paper published at the same time.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.
What we know so far
The work focuses on a sample collected by Perseverance in July 2024. It has been nicknamed Sapphire Canyon, and it comes from a set of rocky outcrops on the edges of Neretva Vallis. This is the river valley that used to pour water into Jezero Crater billions of years ago, and carved the gorgeous delta that can be seen from orbit – and it has been studied by Perseverance.
Jezero Crater was selected as a primary target for the rover for the complex terrain available to study there, from igneous rocks from a potential volcano to the sedimentary rocks formed from the flowing of water.
Of particular interest recently has been the Bright Angel region, where the rover discovered and sampled the “Cheyava Falls” rock. This rock exhibited chemical signatures and structures that could possibly have been formed by life billions of years ago. We want to stress that NASA is not claiming alien life just yet, but it is an intriguing sample for which a biological explanation cannot be dismissed.
Where to watch
The press conference will be streamed live on the agency’s website, YouTube, and NASA+ from 11 am EDT (3 pm UTC) tomorrow. You can also watch the livestream above.
