Perseverance might not be the first rover to land on Mars – a small plaque mounted on it shows it is the youngest member of a ‘family tree’ of Red Planet rovers – but it is certainly the most capable so far. Almost groaning under the weight of cameras and scientific instruments, nuclear-powered Perseverance set down safely on Mars in a cloud of billowing orange dust on 18 February, and since then has begun to explore Jezero crater.
Perseverance’s mission is simple and exciting: it’s on a quest to look for evidence that Mars once had life. It will do that by studying rocks and material inside the crater, specifically within the layers of ancient sediment that form a striking, fan-shaped delta that pushes into the crater from the west. While it would be thrilling for the rover to spot a fossil sticking out of the rock, it’s much more likely that any evidence it finds of past Martian life will take the form of chemical traces – blips on a chart. Perseverance will also collect samples of material from Jezero crater and leave them there for a future mission to collect and bring home for study using instruments that can’t be taken to Mars. Perseverance is our best chance yet of answering one of the oldest, most exciting and tormenting questions in science: was there once life on Mars?
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