The Mars Perseverance rover continues to live up to its name, pushing forward in search of ancient Martian secrets. Following a brief period of system verification and remote testing, our operations team is back at full strength, and Perseverance has been hard at work uncovering new geological insights.
These observations provide invaluable data on the composition, texture, and potential alteration of these rocks. The rocks here are rich in low-calcium pyroxene LCP , making them one of the most intriguing sample targets of the mission so far. The significance of Blue Hill extends beyond just this one location.
The pyroxene-rich nature of the site suggests a potential link to a much larger rock unit visible in orbital HiRISE images. Perseverance has successfully cored and sealed a 2. Since Shallow Bay-Shoal Brook is the only location along our planned route where this regional low-calcium pyroxene unit was identified from orbit, this sample is a one-of-a-kind treasure for future Mars Sample Return analyses.
As we enter the Year of the Snake, it seems fitting that serpentine-bearing rocks have slithered into our focus! These rocks, which may reveal critical clues about past water activity and potential habitability, are now part of our exploration strategy. Between our Noachian-aged pyroxene sample and the newfound focus on serpentine-bearing rocks, our journey through Jezero Crater has never been more exciting. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest.
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,โฆ. Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of aโฆ. Planetary Alignments and Planet Parades.
