Fancy a space snack? NASA takes pictures of "popcorn" on Mars
After months of driving around on the surface of Mars, also known as the "Red Planet", the car-sized Mars rover Perseverance has discovered a group of rocks with a "popcorn-like texture".
The shape of the rocks resembling popcorn is significant because it suggests that groundwater flowed through the rocks after they were set down, a potentially very exciting clue into past life on Mars.
The photos were taken using Perseverance's Right Mastcam-Z camera, Mastcam-Z being the pair of cameras placed high on the rover’s mast.
The multicolor stereo imaging system on the rover can zoom from an f/7 wide-angle to f/10 telephoto lens, take 3D images and videos, and take photos in up to 11 unique colors. It captures 1600 x 1200 images, a has 26-110mm zoom range, and a 360° panoramic view as well as a 180° vertical view.
Affectionately nicknamed Percy, the Mars rover was launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic. To show NASA's appreciation of healthcare workers, a 3.1 x 5.1-inch plate with a staff and serpent (the Greek symbol for medicine) was attached to the rover.
Perseverance has been driving around on the surface of Mars since January and has now finally arrived in a brand new territory nicknamed Bright Angel – so named for the light-toned areas of ancient rocks, once covered by a river.
According to NASA, scientists were "mesmerized by the strange textures of the rocks found there," adding:
"These rocks are filled with sharp ridges that resemble the mineral veins found at the base of the fan, but there appears to be more of them here. Additionally, some rocks are densely packed with small spheres, and we've jokingly referred to this as a 'popcorn'-like texture."
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