Perseverance's search for Mars life might strike gold here.
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has arrived at the ancient river delta that once existed on the floor of Jezero Crater. The rover took this image on April 16, 2022.has arrived safely at the remains of an ancient Red Planet river delta on the floor of the 28-mile-wide Jezero Crater, NASA announced today .
Mission team members said the delta will be a"veritable geologic feast" for Perseverance, which is hunting for signs of fossilized"We've been eyeing the delta from a distance for more than a year while we explored the crater floor," Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist at the California Institute of Technology, said in aNow that the rover is in the region, its next moves will be"obtaining images of ever-greater detail revealing where we can best explore these...
Perseverance's data suggests that the delta deposits are about 130 feet above the crater floor, and the teams are considering two options, according to the JPL statement. The preferred route, at least for now, is through a region nicknamed"Hawksbill Gap," as it appears to be reachable in a shorter time. But a backup option,"Cape Nukshak," is available in case data in the coming days shows it to be a safer route.
The rover will spend roughly six months picking up eight samples during this maneuvering campaign, called Delta Front. The plan then calls for Perseverance to go on top of the delta again, perhaps taking the backup option to sample a region untraveled before, to spend six more months on a"Delta Top Campaign."
"The delta is why Perseverance was sent to Jezero Crater: It has so many interesting features," Farley said."We will look for signs of ancient life in the rocks at the base of the delta, rocks that we think were once mud on the bottom of 'Lake Jezero.'"
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