NASA's Perseverance Makes New Discoveries in Mars' Jezero Crater

The rover found that Jezero Crater’s floor is made up of volcanic rocks that have interacted with water.

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WATSON Views a Rock Target Named ‘Foux’:

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Years ago, Mars orbiters spotted a rock formation filled with the mineral olivine.

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NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover looks out at an expanse of boulders on the floor of Jezero Crater in front of a location nicknamed “Santa Cruz” on Feb. 16, 2022, the 353rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

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SuperCam and RIMFAX (Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment) are helped to establish that igneous rocks cover the crater floor

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SuperCam is equipped with rock-vaporizing laser that can zap a target as small as a pencil tip from up to 20 feet (7 meters) away.

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A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life.

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A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life.

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The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

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NASA's Perseverance Makes New Discoveries in Mars' Jezero Crater

The rover found that Jezero Crater’s floor is made up of volcanic rocks that have interacted with water.

WATSON Views a Rock Target Named ‘Foux’:

Perseverance took this close-up of a rock target nicknamed “Foux” using its WATSON camera, part of the SHERLOC instrument on the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The image was taken July 11, 2021, the 139th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

Years ago, Mars orbiters spotted a rock formation filled with the mineral olivine.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover looks out at an expanse of boulders on the floor of Jezero Crater in front of a location nicknamed “Santa Cruz” on Feb. 16, 2022, the 353rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

SuperCam and RIMFAX (Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment) are helped to establish that igneous rocks cover the crater floor

SuperCam is equipped with rock-vaporizing laser that can zap a target as small as a pencil tip from up to 20 feet (7 meters) away.

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life.

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life.

The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).