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Many parts of the Perseverance rover can be seen in this image from July 13, 2021. The scientific instruments near the ground are located at the end of the rover’s robotic arm.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
that of NASA The Perseverance rover is traveling to Mars, and that means stopping for sightseeing. On Wednesday, NASA shared snaps of a roadside attraction that caught the attention of the rover team.
The object of interest is a patch of rock left behind when Jezero Crater was a lake, in the distant past, when Mars was more watery than it is today.
“Look at this patch of rock I found: it looks like garden paving stones and is probably exposed bedrock” NASA tweeted with a GIF of the rover checking out the location. “Material like this, from the earliest days of this ancient lake bed, can help capture what this lake looked like.”
Take a look at this patch of rock I found: it looks like garden pavers and is probably exposed bedrock. Material like this, dating from the early days of this ancient lake bed, can help capture what this lake looked like. Spend a few days investigating … https: //t.co/p9A2vJFjIV pic.twitter.com/0bc8lPiQLS
– NASA Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 14, 2021
Perseverance means logging onto the site for a few days to get a closer look. The rover has a lot of science ahead, but one of its main missions is to search for evidence of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet. An ancient lake is a perfect place to study the past habitability of Mars.
These Martian rocks would look great along a garden path.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
Images shared by NASA show the rover checking out the “pavers” with the gear at the end of its robotic arm.
“The arm allows the rover to function as a human geologist would: by holding and using scientific tools with his ‘hand’ or turret,” NASA said in an explanation of the rover. “The rover’s own ‘hand tools’ extract cores from rocks, take microscopic images, and analyze the elemental and mineral composition of Martian rocks and soil. “
NASA’s robotic explorer arrived on Mars in February and begins his first official science campaign with his companion Ingenuity helicopter acting as a scout. The bedrock investigation is a sign of science to come as the rover unveils the story of the ancient history of Mars.
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