nous sommes arrivés! Le rover persistant de Mars de la NASA lance la campagne Delta Front

Analyzing rover data is one way we learn about Mars’ geologic past, but planetary geologists can also study “terrestrial analogs.” These are locations on Earth where we can make valuable comparisons to what we see on other planetary bodies, such as Mars, to help us understand their landscapes. I’ve enjoyed hearing comparisons between Jezero and Earth from members of our Science Team; most recently we discussed how the Jezero delta sediments might be similar to those in Greece. As a British-Greek member of the team, I used to drive through the Gulf of Corinth each summer to visit family in Ακράτα (Akrata). Little did I know that I was gazing out the window at a wonderful analog for some of the deltaic features we’re seeing in Jezero today!

Mars Perseverance Sol 409 – Left Mastcam-Z Camera: The Mastcam-Z instrument snapped this close up of ‘Kodiak’, a remnant from when the delta was more extensive. The Mars 2020 team has had eyes on Kodiak since last year, but now we can see details that weren’t previously visible. This raw image has been stretched to better highlight features in the middle of the image. This image was acquired on April 14, 2022 (Sol 409) at the local mean solar time of 10:06:40. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Over the next few months, we’ll use the entire suite of Perseverance instruments to explore the delta. We expect to find rocks that will be rather different from the igneous rocks (meaning they formed from magma or lava) of the crater floor. During that exploration, we will also take samples of some of the most interesting and astrobiologically promising rocks. I can’t wait to see what Perseverance will find!

Written by Eleni Ravanis, Student Collaborator at University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.