The Perseverance rover begins its mission to explore Lake Crater in search of signs of life on Mars.
This was reported by the BBC.
On Tuesday, he will start climbing the delta in the crater Lake, where he landed. He will stop from time to time to inspect the rocks, which are believed to have preserved evidence of life on the planet. Going back, Perseverance will collect rock samples. They will be sent to Earth in the 2030s for a detailed inspection.
“The delta in Jezero Crater is the main astrobiology target of Perseverance. These are the rocks that we think likely have the highest potential for containing signs of ancient life and can also tell us about the climate of Mars and how this has evolved over time," said Deputy Chief of Mission Dr Katie Stack Morgan.
The lake is a crater on the planet Mars. Once filled with water, this crater has a funnel-shaped delta with deposits rich in clay. In view of this, scientists suggest that life may have existed here. One of the goals of NASAʼs mission to Mars is to study the layers of these deposits.
- On April 20, Perseverance arrived at the dried-up ancient delta of the Red Planet River at the bottom of the 45 km wide Lake Crater. The device arrived at the place of its main work, where it will look for traces of life.
- On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance rover landed on Mars in Jezero Crater. After landing, he took some photos and recorded the sound. On February 22, NASA showed a video of the Perseverance landing. The rover soon began sending panoramic photos and recordings, and on April 5, successfully landed an Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, which launched its flights.
- On December 16, Perseverance found the oldest rocks on the planetʼs surface and later took a sample of the breed.