Jezero Crater, here we are

The week was exciting for fans of the red planet. In seven days, one robot successfully landed on Mars and another had its long – awaited landing point: the Jezero Crater.

Robin Wordsworth, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), participated in workshops led by NASA to help select the Landing sites for the March 2020 rover mission.

Wordsworth, whose group models the ancient climate and water cycle Martians, is excited about the Jezero crater as a site of 39, landing in part this gives a window on the very early climate on Mars.

We talked about the decision with Wordsworth.

Why does Jerezo Crater interest you?

Wordsworth: Jezero Crater is fascinating because it contains a beautifully preserved river delta that formed billions of years ago, probably shortly after the formation of Mars. It therefore provides us with a window into the conditions of a potentially habitable planet in the earliest period of the solar system – a period that has virtually been erased from the Earth's geological record. This is of great interest to us both in terms of the planetary sciences, because this will allow us to investigate the primitive climate, but also astrobiology, because it may contain signs of early Martian life.

How does your research relate to The Jezero Crater Mission?

We study the climate and hydrology of early March using a series of models, some of which are similar to those used to predict climate change on Earth. We have already used our models to develop global climate prediction to facilitate the selection of the landing site (this is the work I presented at the third workshop at the landing site last year). We are now planning to apply our models to Jezero directly to understand the likely environmental conditions at the time of delta formation. In return, the new data from Jezero will help us constrain our models and paint a much more detailed picture of what was the beginning of March.

What are you most eager to see when the new rover finally arrives on the site in 2021?

I am extremely excited about the potential to better understand the duration of hot episodes of surface geology, especially geomorphology. Beyond that, I'm really looking forward to seeing if the Jezero delta contains traces of organic carbon in its sediments, which would be a strong suggestion of biological activity in the lake at the time of its formation.