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NASA’s Perseverance rover

New data has been acquired regarding a significant crater on Mars, providing insight to researchers and astronomers on its formation and the presence of water during that time.

Perseverance, which landed on Mars rock samples

During February of 2021, the rover has been investigating the Jezero Crater in order to search for indications of past life and gather rocks for analysis. from the lunar missions

Samples of rocks and soil collected during missions to the moon.

to return to the surface of Earth.

the conditions could have been conducive to life

NASA states that the crater may have previously contained water and supported a river delta, potentially creating an environment suitable for life.microbial life

At one point during its 3.5 billion years of existence, it was present.

NASA stated that studying the crater has enabled researchers to create a comprehensive chronology of how the structure was formed. They also verified that there were three distinct periods following the introduction of water into the crater. A brief video, shared by NASA, depicts an artist’s depiction of water entering the crater and initiating the process.

During the initial phase, the crater was filled with compact mud and sand, which have been recognized for their ability to preserve ancient organisms in environments like Earth’s. As time passed, the lake within the crater expanded to a width of 22 miles and a depth of 100 feet, resulting in the formation of sedimentary layers. The last phase involved the transportation of rounded boulders by powerful rivers, which had been shaped by the force of the water.

NASA reported that it witnessed evidence of each of these phases through the Perseverance mission. The initial phase was observed in a location referred to as Hogwallow Flats, where the rover retrieved sedimentary rocks and transmitted highly detailed images back to Earth in 2022, which NASA claims are the most comprehensive images ever received from the Martian surface.

Information regarding the crater, its changes over time, and water distribution in the region are aiding Perseverance in its quest to uncover indications of past microbial existence. Along with analyzing the geological makeup of Mars, the rover is gathering knowledge about the planet’s previous weather conditions and striving to pave a path for potential human exploration of the Red Planet, according to NASA.

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