Scientists left baffled after spotting ‘alien helmet’ on surface of Mars
Each Mars exploration mission has revealed more about the Red Planet's mysterious past and potential for life.
Back in March, NASA’s Curiosity rover detected the largest organic compounds ever found on Mars, which could indicate signs of Martian life.
Then, discoveries of an alien-like mass and a mysterious ‘skull' spotted on the surface of Mars has people wondering if we're looking at more than just natural geological processes.
Now, NASA's Perseverance rover has captured photos of yet another weird rock formation that looks exactly like an ancient battle helmet.
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Is this proof of alien life on Mars?
The rover's Mastcam-Z camera spotted this pointed, helmet-shaped thing with a bumpy, pitted surface that looks like something a Roman soldier might have worn into battle.
But before anyone gets too excited about discovering proof of Martian warriors, NASA scientists claimed that these rocks can be found on Earth too.
Nicknamed 'Horneflya,' the hat-shaped rock is basically made up of tiny round mineral balls called spherules. A spokesperson for the Perseverance team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory shed some light on the rock formation.
“This rock’s target name is Horneflya, and it’s distinctive less because of its hat shape – which looks to me to be generally consistent with the pyramid shape we often see in wind-eroded float blocks on the surface of Mars – and more because it’s made almost entirely of spherules,” said a spokesperson for the Perseverance team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
How do spherules form?
Spherules are formed through pretty normal geological processes like volcanic activity, chemical weathering, and minerals getting deposited over time.
On Mars, scientists think spherules develop when groundwater flows through porous rock and leaves behind mineral deposits that eventually turn into these round shapes.
Future research could reveal what the planet's climate used to be like and whether it could have supported life. This is actually the second time in recent months that Perseverance has found rocks covered in spherules, so it's probably pretty common in that area.
While cool rocks like this get people hyped about Mars exploration, actually sending humans there is still incredibly dangerous. Most scientists agree that the cosmic radiation alone would be a major problem with current technology.
Elon Musk and his team at SpaceX are eager to skip the Moon and keep shifting their focus entirely on Mars with their upcoming rockets. But the reality is that we'd need to solve radiation issues and maintain reliable life support systems before anyone could safely make the trip.