Meet the Mars Samples: Kukaklek (Sample 16)

Meet one of the Martian samples that has been collected and is awaiting return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. As of late July 2023, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 20 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes. The next stage is to get them back for study.

Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with ESA (European Space Agency) on this important endeavor.

Learn more about Sample No. 16 – “Kukaklek” – a sedimentary rock core collected from a rock at the Jezero Crater “Delta Front.” This sample came from a rock with various textures and colors of the mineral sulfate, possibly indicating that it interacted with water more than once. Was Jezero Crater filled with water multiple times? This rock may hold clues to Mars’ watery past.

Read about all the carefully selected samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples

Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover characterizes the planet's geology and past climate, paves the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and is the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

TRANSCRIPT

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MARS ROCK SAMPLES

SAMPLE 16: KUKAKLEK

TYPE: SEDIMENTARY

LOCATION: HIDDEN HARBOR, DELTA FRONT

SUNANDA SHARMA
ASTROBIOLOGIST - MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER

Sunanda Sharma: Sample 16 is called “Kukaklek,” and we collected it from a rock called “Hidden Harbor” in the Delta Front. This sample is interesting because we started to see diversity in the textures associated with sulfate minerals. So there was a lot of sulfate in these samples, but they didn't look the same in every case, meaning that these samples captured the diversity in this type of mineral on Mars.

Seeing different textures and colors associated with similar minerals in one rock can indicate a variety of different things. One possibility is there were different fluid events. So we know that sulfate is associated with water and we saw hydration signals in this rock as well, but we saw multiple different kinds. So does that mean water interacted with this rock multiple times? And what happened in each of those times?

This sample is part of the collection carried by the rover that will hopefully come to Earth.

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For more information on Mars Rock Samples: mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples