Mars Perseverance Sol 286– Left Navigation Camera: NASAs Mars Perseverance rover got this image using its onboard Left Navigation Camera (Navcam). The video camera is situated high on the rovers mast and aids in driving. Mars Perseverance Sol 292– Left Mastcam-Z Camera: NASAs Mars Perseverance rover obtained this image using its Left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a set of electronic cameras located high on the rovers mast. One of the methods we do this is by determining “terrestrial analogues,” or rocks here on Earth that look comparable to what the rover is seeing on Mars.
Mars Perseverance Sol 286– Left Navigation Camera: NASAs Mars Perseverance rover obtained this image using its onboard Left Navigation Camera (Navcam). The camera lies high on the rovers mast and help in driving. This image was obtained on December 9, 2021 (Sol 286). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Considering that February 18, 2021, Perseverance has been checking out the Jezero crater flooring, consisting of a direct exposure of rock and sand that the rovers science group calls Séítah (which suggests “amongst the sand” in the Navajo language).
One of the main expedition targets within Jezero crater is the well-preserved delta deposit, and a lot of the predicted landing websites for the rover were clustered very near the scarp of this delta. During landing, the rovers computer system diverted the rover away from the delta to the eastern side of Séítah, which itself was considered rocky and too sandy for a safe landing.
While the rovers comprehensive expedition of the Jezero delta will have to wait till later in the mission, the rovers landing site has provided the group an opportunity to go into the geology and origin of the crater floor rock systems.
Mars Perseverance Sol 292– Left Mastcam-Z Camera: NASAs Mars Perseverance rover got this image utilizing its Left Mastcam-Z electronic camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of video cameras situated high on the rovers mast.
During the first couple of months of the mission, Perseverance checked out a heavily cratered rock unit including abundant polygonal fractures and a structure similar to a basaltic volcanic rock. In September 2021, Perseverance entered Séítah and began checking out a new and various geologic unit. Scientists on the rover team are trying to comprehend how this olivine-rich rock could have formed.
One of the ways we do this is by recognizing “terrestrial analogues,” or rocks here on Earth that look similar to what the rover is seeing on Mars. One possibility might be ancient (3.5 billion year old) lava streams emplaced in Western Australia, close to the earliest excellent evidence of life here in the world is maintained. The evidence of life is protected in microbial mounds called “stromatolites.” Igneous rocks, like these Australian lava flows, can be easily dated and can offer essential age constraints on the timing of geologic processes and conditions and provide context for any biologically moderated rocks that might be present. The olivine-bearing rocks of Séítah could offer essential context and restrictions on the timing of the Jezero crater lake.
As the rover wraps up its expedition of the crater flooring, excitement is constructing for the next phase of the mission: the Jezero delta. Will we discover proof of ancient martian life on the delta? Stay tuned.
Composed by Adrian Brown, Deputy Program Scientist at NASA HQ.