NASA's Perseverance Rover Mission

• NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is an active mission focused on seeking signs of ancient life.
• The Perseverance rover collects samples of rock and regolith for potential return to Earth.

Mission Details

• Rover Type: Wheeled vehicle designed to traverse the Martian surface.
• Launch Date: July 30, 2020.
• Landing Date: February 18, 2021.
• Target Location: Jezero Crater, Mars.
• Primary Objective: To find signs of past life and gather samples for possible return to Earth.

Mars Rock Sample Montage

• High-resolution images showing the different materials acquired during the rover's first three and a half years on Mars have been released.

Jezero Crater Landing Site Selection

• Jezero Crater was selected as the landing site as scientists believe it was once flooded and contained an ancient river delta.
• The selection process involved a detailed five-year study analyzing over 60 potential locations on Mars.
• Jezero Crater is believed to have experienced alternating wet and dry periods over 3.5 billion years ago, with river channels flowing into a lake.
• Evidence suggests water carried clay minerals into the crater lake, potentially supporting microbial life.
• The crater is 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide and located on the western edge of Isidis Planitia, near the Martian equator.
• The landing site is approximately 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) from Curiosity's landing site in Gale Crater.

Perseverance Mars Rover Drive Path Animation

• An animated orbital map shows Perseverance's path from its February 2021 landing in Jezero Crater to July 2024.
• By October 2024, the rover had traveled over 30 kilometers (18.65 miles) and collected 24 rock/regolith samples and one air sample.

Science Objectives

• Study Mars’ habitability to understand if Mars could have ever supported microbial life.
• Seek signs of past microbial life by analyzing the geology of the landing site.
• Collect and cache samples of Martian rock and soil for potential return to Earth by a future mission.
• Preparation for future human missions by testing technologies and understanding Mars’ environment.

Mars Rock Samples and Stories

• Perseverance is collecting rock samples, atmosphere samples, and loose surface material in Jezero Crater.
• These samples aim to record the geological history of the site and potentially contain signs of ancient life.
• The Mars Sample Return mission could deliver these samples to Earth for detailed study in the future.

Mars Ingenuity Helicopter

• The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, was attached to Perseverance during its journey to Mars as a technology demonstration.
• Ingenuity was the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet, completing 72 historic flights.

Recent News and Features

• Perseverance is studying a trove of rocks on the Jezero Crater rim and how one Martian dust devil ate another!
• NASA performed its first aircraft accident investigation on another world.