Human skull on Mars? What did NASA just discover on the red planet
A curious discovery has captured the attention of both scientists and space enthusiasts. On
Mars
's remote slope of Jezero Crater,
NASA
's Perseverance rover sent back an image of a rock that resembled a human skull. About the size of a basketball, the rock-like structure is completely different from its dusty surroundings.
#Pahalgam Terrorist Attack
Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up
Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons?
Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan
For some people, it may seem like a cosmic coincidence, but for others, it is another reminder of the Red Planet's mystery and the possibility of life outside Earth.
The Perseverance rover is a car-sized robotic spacecraft dispatched by NASA to explore the Jezero Crater on Mars as a key part of the Mars 2020 mission.
5
5
Next
Stay
Playback speed
1x Normal
Back
0.25x
0.5x
1x Normal
1.5x
2x
5
5
/
Skip
Ads by
According to Margaret Deahn, a Ph.D. student at Purdue University and a member of the NASA team, Skull Hill is most likely what's known as a 'float rock.' This means it didn't originate where it currently sits but was transported there by natural forces, likely from an impact crater or volcanic activity.
'It could have come from a volcanic outcrop or a distant impact, carried over by ancient Martian winds or water flows,' Deahn explained. Scientists also estimate that as much as 30% of the surface rocks in Jezero Crater may have been displaced over millions of years.
Live Events
Some even suggest that it could be a meteorite, as Mars' thin atmosphere a lot of times fails to burn up the incoming space debris, and NASA's Curiosity rover had found several iron-nickel meteorites in Gale Crater.
But in this case, after a closer inspection, Perseverance's SuperCam, which is a laser-powered chemical analyzer, revealed that Skull Hill's composition didn't match that of a typical meteorite.
It also suggested that the object is an igneous rock formed from volcanic magma, and the presence of minerals like olivine and pyroxene, which are considered common in volcanic rocks, supports this theory.
The pitted and angular surface of the Skull, along with its dark tone, makes it even more interesting. The pits are likely the result of wind erosion or the loss of small rock fragments. Rocks like Skull Hill are time capsules, offering critical clues about the planet's geological history and helping in understanding Mars' past.
'Every rock we encounter on Mars is like a page in the planet's unfinished autobiography,' said Dr. Melissa Rice, a planetary geologist at Western Washington University. 'And Skull Hill? It's one of those chapters that makes you stop and think.'
The question of whether Mars was ever home to life remains one of the most curious mysteries, and the search continues, with the hope that one day, the Red Planet will reveal its secrets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Oldest engg school in country to conduct open house for aspirants
Chennai: Survey School, the oldest engineering school established outside Europe, in Madras in 1794 to produce trained personnel in surveying for British India, has turned into a premier College of Engineering (CEG), Guindy. It took British engineers, their surveyors, ameens, and draftsmen 50 years to complete the first survey of India in 1852. With satellite images and modern equipment, the same can be completed within a year with much better accuracy today. It all started with survey engineering. Now, the college is producing top-notch engineers in multiple disciplines. The department of civil engineering, one of the first departments to be established in the college roughly 166 years ago, has become one of the premier departments of the discipline. "Our department will host a first-ever open house on Monday to showcase innovations, research outcomes, and project demonstrations by students and faculty members," said S Kanmani, head, department of civil engineering, CEG. It is open to industry professionals, researchers, alumni, school children, and the public to see cutting-edge laboratories, interact with researchers, and witness live demonstrations. "The event will also have interactive exhibits, student-led models, and solutions to real-world infrastructure and sustainability challenges," she added. This exercise is being conducted to promote its UG and PG programmes. The department is offering BE civil engineering in Tamil and English and BE in geo-informatics. It also offers 11 PG courses. The students trained in live projects are working for various govt departments and agencies, including NASA and ISRO. "Three students from the BE geo-informatics course – Latha Malar Baskaran, Suresh Vannan, and G G Ponnurangam are working in NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory as scientists. One of them was involved in the project that brought Astronaut Sunita Williams," said R Vidhya, director of Institute of Remote Sensing, another centre of the civil engineering department. "All faculty members in the civil engineering department are experts in their domains. They do research and consultancy for various govt agencies. So, UG and PG students joining this department can branch out to any section of civil engineering and work on live projects as well," said R Saravanan, director, Centre for Water Resources, also part of the civil engineering department at CEG. "Any building structure-related issue, be it Mugalivakkam or Tirvottiyur, our faculty members are part of the expert team. Due to these consultancy services, we are generating 80% of consultancy revenue for Anna University," said professor K P Jaya, head, structural engineering division, department of civil engineering. "It's one of the largest departments and occupies 60% of the total area in the CEG," she added. About 50% of total students are placed in campus placements, while 30% opt to write competitive exams. "The remaining 20% of students are interested in pursuing higher studies," Kanmani said. Some of the PG courses, such as structural engineering, have 100% placements. "ME in soil mechanics and foundation engineering course started at CEG in 1958, much before the IITs," said professor M Muttharam from the soil mechanics and foundation division.
Economic Times
7 hours ago
- Economic Times
SpaceX rolls out Falcon 9 and Dragon for Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's historic trip to space; Check visuals
The countdown for India's historic return to space started with SpaceX on Saturday rolling out the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecrafts to the launch pad ahead of Axiom Space's fourth human spaceflight, featuring Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla."Falcon 9 and Dragon rolled out to pad 39A in Florida earlier today ahead of Tuesday's launch of @Axiom_Space's Ax-4 mission to the @Space_Station," said SpaceX in a post on X. Read more: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's space mission's schedule out: Check launch date, arrival time, and how to watch liveIndian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are set to embark on the Axiom Space's fourth human spaceflight from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 10 and are likely to dock at the International Space Station on June 11 at about 10 PM IST, after a nearly 28-hour journey. Shukla, the mission pilot of the Axiom-4 (Ax4) commercial mission to the ISS, will be accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson and specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Axiom-4 mission will mark India's return to space 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz mission in 1984."The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 (10:00 p.m. IST), Wednesday, June 11," NASA said in a statement. What role will Shukla play? Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. As part of a collaboration between NASA and ISRO, Axiom Mission 4 delivers on a commitment highlighted by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the station. The space agencies are participating in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations. NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space private mission also carries the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station.
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission set for lift-off from Florida on June 10
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are all set to embark on Axiom Space's fourth human spaceflight, Axiom-4 mission, from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to the International Space Station on Tuesday, June 10. The Axiom-4, Ax4, commercial mission, is likely to dock at the ISS on June 11 at about 10 pm IST, after a nearly 28-hour journey. The mission was earlier scheduled for a lift-off on June 8 but, last week it was pushed by two days, to June 10 instead. Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the Ax4 mission and will be accompanied by mission commander Peggy Whitson, along with specialists Tibor Kapu from Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland. Forty-one years after Rakesh Sharma's historic spaceflight aboard Russia's Soyuz mission in 1984, India is set to make its space comeback with the Axiom-4 mission. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said in a statement, "The crew will travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket. The targeted docking time is approximately 12:30 pm EDT (10 pm IST), Wednesday, June 11." Ahead of the mission's launch, SpaceX rolled out the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft to the launch pad in Florida on Saturday. The Dragon spacecraft was seen integrated atop the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket. Meanwhile, last week, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan visited Axiom Space to review the preparations for the spaceflight. Shukla and the other three astronauts have been in quarantine since May 25 in preparation for their space trip and have been training ahead of the June 10 launch. Axiom Space shared a video of the training programme and posted on X, "The #Ax4 crew undergoes extensive emergency training, featuring a range of scenarios such as underwater escape drills." The Ax4 crew, during its 14-day stay at the ISS, is likely to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and other space industry leaders. The Axiom-4 mission crew also addressed a press conference earlier this week to provide an update ahead of the launch, with Whitson saying, "We are good for the launch, we have completed all the training and the team has bonded well." About the culturally diverse crew on the mission, Whitson had earlier said that it not only allows the team to advance scientific knowledge but also fosters "international collaboration". "Our previous missions set the stage and with Ax-4, we ascend even higher, bringing more nations to low-Earth orbit and expanding humanity's reach among the stars," she added. Shukla described their year-long training for the commercial mission as "nothing short of transformative". "It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come. As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts," Shukla added. The Indian astronaut is set to conduct exclusive food and nutrition-related experiments during his time at the ISS. These experiments were developed under a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with NASA's support. The experiments aim to pioneer space nutrition and self-sustaining life support systems necessary for long-duration space travel in the future. ISRO has lined up a set of seven experiments for Shubhanshu Shukla. He will also participate in five joint studies planned by NASA for its human research program. The food-related plans are drawn up with a focus on Indian food, including sprouting methi (Fenugreek) and moong (green gram), in microgravity conditions. Shukla will expose these seeds to the macrobiotic conditions and bring them back to Earth, where they will be cultivated into plants not just once but over generations. Shukla's experience on the Axiom-4 mission would also be very helpful for the Gaganyaan mission, which is planned for a 2027 launch. For the Ax4 mission, ISRO is spending a whopping ₹550 crore. (with PTI inputs)
