Perseverance Rover Scouts Launch from Mars
Spot for 1st Mission That Will
The robotic explorer has
been scouting out flat areas around Jezero Crater that could serve as a landing site for the Mars Sample Return Campaign
A joint venture
between NASA and the European Space Agency, will fetch samples collected by Perseverance and return them to Earth
In order to land on and
launch from Mars, the sample return mission needs a flat surface with a 200-foot radius without sand dunes and angled terrain
As Perseverance investigates
the site of an ancient lake that existed billions of years ago, it's collecting rocks and soil.
This material is of interest
because it could contain evidence of past microscopic organisms that would reveal whether life ever existed on Mars
Rover's cameras were used
to survey a flat area they call the "landing strip." The area, long and flat like a runway at an airport
Comet K2's Solar Tour is
Surprising