NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover has finally reached the Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta, called “Three Forks”, where it will begin the “Delta Front Campaign.” It will mark the rover’s second science expedition that starts with a host of rocks and sediment at the western edge of Jezero Crater, formed at the convergence of the Red Planet’s crater lake billions of years ago. The fine-grained sediment deposited at its base will be NASA’s best bet for discovering the preserved remains of ancient microbial life.
Now that the campaign is underway, Perseverance will utilize a drill found on the end of its robotic arm, along with a complex sample collection system, to gather rock cores for return to Earth. This will be just the first part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. The first goal will be to research the best route to ascend the delta, which rises approximately 130 feet (40 meters) above the crater floor. However, it may be a while until the Ingenuity helicopter captures footage like this volcano crater with no lava.
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The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life. The answers are out there – and Team Perseverance is ready to find them,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
