The composition of the rock on Mars indicates volcanic activity, the presence of bodies of water, primitive organisms and a stable environment for the origin of life in the past.
The MOXIE instrument on board the Perseverance rover extracted oxygen from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. This became possible because the atmosphere of Mars is 96% carbon dioxide CO2, which can be decomposed into carbon monoxide CO and pure oxygen O2. The carbon dioxide decomposition procedure in MOXIE takes place at a temperature of 800 °C, so the device parts are made of heat-resistant nickel alloy.
Using the same rover, soil samples were obtained from the surface of Mars, said Adam Steltzner, chief engineer of the project. The first sample – September 6, 2021, “Mondenier”, the second sample – “Montagnac”, was obtained from the same rock site on September 8.
“Our first rock samples indicate a potentially habitable, stable environment. What was really important was to know that water had been there for a long time,” said Ken Farley of the California Institute of Technology, a mission specialist. The researchers were most interested in salt crystals.
Also, researchers at the University of Texas believe that the landscape of Mars was formed by large ancient floods due to meteorite and asteroid impacts. Due to the low tectonic activity of the Red Planet, the consequences of catastrophic floods can still be observed.
But even before the rover was launched, scientists studied the chemical composition of Martian meteorites that broke away from the surface of Mars and ended up on Earth. The analysis showed that in the depths of the Red Planet there are suitable ingredients for the habitat of microbial life forms. Therefore, some scientists are afraid of soil from Mars getting to Earth, since it may contain alien microorganisms that will provoke a disaster if they get into terrestrial ecosystems.
To prevent disaster, the International Committee Against Mars Sample Return (ICAMSR) was formed. The scientists who formed the committee are confident that Martian soil has no place on Earth in any form, since its safety is not guaranteed even in super-secret laboratories.