Charting the Red Planet: How Open Science Fuels Mars Exploration
Combining images from orbit with images from the surface, a JPL-developed tool allows researchers to zoom in to see individual boulders and zoom out to…
Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover News
The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is a robotic explorer developed by NASA as part of its Mars Exploration Program. Launched on July 30, 2020, and landing on Mars on February 18, 2021, Perseverance’s primary mission is to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth. The rover landed in Jezero Crater, a site believed to have been the basin of an ancient lake and thus an ideal location to look for evidence of past microbial life. Perseverance is equipped with a variety of scientific instruments to analyze the Martian geology and atmosphere, including advanced imaging capabilities and the first-ever Martian helicopter, Ingenuity, which serves as a technology demonstration for powered flight in the planet’s thin atmosphere. The rover’s design leverages the successful architecture and engineering of its predecessor, the Curiosity rover, incorporating significant upgrades and new instruments tailored to its specific scientific goals.
Perseverance Triumphs: How SHERLOC Was Brought Back to Life on Mars
After six months of effort, an instrument that helps NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover look for potential signs of ancient microbial life has come back online….
Atmospheric Time Capsules: Why Scientists Are Intrigued by Air in NASA’s Mars Sample Tubes
Tucked away with each rock and soil sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover is a potential boon for atmospheric scientists. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is…
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Crosses Ancient Martian River To Reach New Scientific Frontiers
Originally thought of as little more than a route clear of rover-slowing boulders, Neretva Vallis has provided a bounty of geologic options for the science…
Comet Geyser Biosignature Bonanza: NASA Perseverance Mars Rover’s 21st Rock Core
The recent acquisition of Perseverance’s 21st core sample, Comet Geyser, from Bunsen Peak reveals significant geological interest due to its composition of carbonate and silica—key…
Chasing Martian Mysteries: Perseverance Pays Off When Studying the Red Planet’s Atmosphere
On Mars, the Perseverance rover faces challenges in studying the atmosphere, such as capturing transient phenomena like clouds and dust devils. Studying the atmosphere with…
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Hits the Mark – “This Is the Kind of Rock We Had Hoped To Find”
The 24th sample taken by the six-wheeled scientist offers new clues about Jezero Crater and the lake it may have once held. Analysis by instruments…
Three Years Later, the Search for Life on Mars Continues
In the three years since NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars, the NASA science team has made the daily task of investigating the red…
Martian Rock Orientations Deciphered – Crucial Step in Understanding Mars’ Geological History and Potential for Ancient Life
MIT geologists unlock the orientation of Martian rocks collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The “oriented” samples, the first of their kind from any planet, could…
The Mars Cover-Up: Perseverance Rover’s SHERLOC Dust Dilemma
Engineers are working to stabilize a dust cover on one of the science instrument’s cameras. Data and imagery from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover indicate one…
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Spots Ingenuity Helicopter at Its Final Resting Place
Ingenuity’s groundbreaking mission concludes after 72 flights, while Perseverance’s exploration of Mars enters an exciting phase, focusing on geological discoveries that could shed light on…
Excitement Builds for Finding Life on Mars After Perseverance Rover’s Ground-Penetrating Radar Discovery
Ground-penetrating radar reveals eons of environmental changes, offers hope that soil samples hold traces of life. Ground-penetrating radar onboard NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has confirmed…
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Concludes Mission After 3 Epic Years
NASA has proven powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds, just as the Wright brothers proved it was possible on Earth. NASA’s history-making Ingenuity…
Red Planet Revelations: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Probes Secrets of Ancient Martian Lake
Now at 1,000 days on Mars, the mission has traversed an ancient river and lake system, collecting valuable samples along the way. Marking its 1,000th…
Sun’s Curtain Call: Mars Missions Go Rogue During Solar Conjunction
Rovers and orbiters will continue collecting limited data during a two-week communications pause due to the position of Earth, the Sun, and the Red Planet….
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover: The Triple-Junction Trek to Jurabi Point
The Perseverance rover is always on the move! With our first core sample of the margin unit in hand, we’re already plotting a course to…
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures 200-Foot-Wide Dust Devil Tearing Across Mars
The six-wheeled geologist spotted the twister as part of an atmospheric exploration of Jezero Crater. The lower portion of a Martian dust devil was captured…
AutoNav’s Triumph on Mars: Perseverance Rover’s Record Speed on the Martian Terrain
A computer pilot helps NASA’s six-wheeled geologist as it searches for rock samples that could be brought to Earth for deeper investigation. In about a…