I remember when Perseverance was launched in February 2021, traveled to the solar system and landed on Mars. In the entire time since its arrival and after 1000 days of exploration, it has collected 23 samples from different geological areas within the Jezero crater. There was once an ancient lake in the area, and if there is evidence of ancient (fossilized) life anywhere on Mars, it is here.
It was July 30, 2020, when a gigantic Atlas V-541 rocket fired from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The Perseverance rover was on board on its way to Mars. It arrived about seven months later, entered the Martian atmosphere and landed successfully using a complex sequence of parachutes, retrorockets and, for the first time, a sky crane to lower it from a hovering platform. Its primary purpose on Mars was to study the geology, climate, and atmospheric conditions as a precursor to human exploration.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday, July 30, 2020, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Perseverance Rover is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term project to robotically explore the Red Planet. Image credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
The landing site, Jezero Crater, was chosen because previous orbital studies provided clear evidence of an ancient lake that once filled the crater. Water is believed to be a key component for the development of life. So if there had been a body of water, the chances for life to develop would have been greater. Studying the rocks here is like looking through the history books, as they preserve signs of ancient life and also ancient environmental conditions.
The crater, like most other craters in the solar system, was formed by some form of impact event. In the case of Jezero, it was an asteroid impact about 4 billion years ago. Upon arriving at the crater, it soon became apparent that the soil was composed of igneous rock, formed from a vast underground magma chamber and brought to the surface through volcanic activity. Since then, other types of rocks made of sand and mud have been found, proving the presence of water in Mars' distant past.
Jezero crater on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
By the time Perseverance reached the 1,000th anniversary of its exploration of the Red Planet, it had collected the rock samples, safely packaged them, and largely completed its exploration of the ancient lakebed. In particular, a sample called “Lefroy Bay” was found to contain fine-grained silica. This material is commonly found on Earth and is known to preserve fossils. Another sample contains phosphate, which is certainly linked to biological processes on Earth. Both contain carbon, which can be used to study environmental conditions since the rock was formed.
Jezero Crater is a large site, 45 kilometers in diameter, so deciding where to collect the samples was a challenge. Once a target location was identified, Perseverance would first use its abrasion tool to abrade the surface, then use onboard instruments such as PIXL, the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry. The instruments on board are capable of both detecting microscopic, fossil-like structures and identifying chemical changes left behind by ancient microbes. Unfortunately, while Perseverance has achieved amazing things to date, the discovery of signs of life points to the rover.
Source: NASA's Perseverance Rover Unravels Lake Mars' Ancient History
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