‘In A League Of Its Own’: Mysterious Boulder Discovered By NASA Rover On Mars

Daily Caller ^ | June 17, 2024 | MARIANE ANGELA - ENTERTAINMENT AND NEWS REPORTER

[Red Badger]

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s rover discovered a mysterious boulder on Mars, CBS News reported Monday.

NASA’s Perseverance rover made a discovery in the Jezero crater on Mars, encountering a mysterious, light-toned boulder that differs from any previously observed Martian rocks. This finding occurred during the rover’s journey through the Neretva Vallis, a dried-up river delta, as it navigated towards a region in the crater’s rim to study sediment deposits, according to CBS News.

The boulder, dubbed Atoko Point, caught the team’s attention with its unique speckled, light-toned appearance amid darker rocks. It was said to be “in a league of its own,” measuring about 18 inches across and 14 inches tall, the outlet reported. The rock’s distinct mineral composition includes pyroxene and feldspar — minerals also found in Earth’s crust and on the moon.

Brad Garczynski, from Western Washington University and co-leader of the Perseverance mission, expressed the team’s excitement over the find, noting that Atoko Point and other rocks in the vicinity likely originated from different parts of Mars and were transported to Mount Washburn, where the rover discovered them, the outlet stated.

Further investigation revealed that the minerals in Atoko Point could have stemmed from underground magma, suggesting a dynamic geological history involving significant volcanic activity and erosion at the Jezero crater’s rim, CBS News reported. This hypothesis is supported by the boulder’s possible displacement via ancient river flows, highlighting the complexity of Martian geology.

The rover’s latest mission at Atoko Point on Mars marks its fourth campaign, aimed at detecting carbonate and olivine deposits. These minerals are essential for uncovering the planet’s past environmental conditions and could contain ancient organic materials, shedding light on the possibility of past life on Mars, according to CBS News.

[Red Badger]

Racist Rock Ping!...................

[Magnum44]

[Chainmail]

Ooh, ooh - a rock! We spent several billion dollars and we found a rock!

Lucky us.

[MtnClimber]

All of the darker rocks feeling oppressed by the white minority rock.

[Red Badger]

I think it came from Earth.

Krakatoa launched?..............

[PIF]

Krakatoa launched?

—
Mt Toba

[MtnClimber]

Antifa could have thrown it at the police, but missed.

[Red Badger]

Too recent. Would still be in transit..............

[COBOL2Java]

Ooh, ooh - a rock! We spent several billion dollars and we found a rock!

Lucky us.

[woodbutcher1963]

Looks like a chunk of granite. Similar to what they dig out of the ground here in NH.

[Carl Vehse]

Mwdia article claiming the rock as proof of extraterrestrial intelligent beings putting it there.... 3.... 2.... 1....

[Red Badger]

Would be neat if it had some writing on it!..............

[carcraft]

At ne point a meteor hit the dead zone of Egypt, the desert area west o the Nile. The impact created a large field of glass and blasted material into space.

[Beowulf9]

"Further investigation revealed that the minerals in Atoko Point could have stemmed from underground magma, suggesting a dynamic geological history involving significant volcanic activity and erosion at the Jezero crater’s rim, CBS News reported. This hypothesis is supported by the boulder’s possible displacement via ancient river flows..." Sure!

[voicereason]

What about the lighter colered rock on the ground? We are going to ignore that as well.

[ansel12]

Here is the expandable view link.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26333-standing-out-on-mars-mount-washburn

[woodbutcher1963]

KILROY was here

or

Made in Japan

or

Here lies Caeser Augustus

[larrytown]

The ‘gasms these people will have if they ever conclusively find any ‘ancient organic’ material is going to be epic.

I don’t believe they ever will, but they’ll spend all our money looking for the ‘big one’.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Red Badger. Result of impact, imho.

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