NASA’s Perseverance rover has once again amazed scientists with its incredible images of the boulder field in Jezero Crater on Mars. The rover’s Mastcam-Z imager captured a series of images on July 6, which were then stitched together to reveal a field of boulders left behind by an ancient river.
Interestingly, the rover tracks in the images provide a sense of scale, allowing scientists to better understand the size and magnitude of these boulders. This discovery comes not long after the Perseverance rover sealed its 20th rock core sample, obtained from an outcrop formed by rocks transported by a river in the distant past.
Dubbed “Emerald Lake” by the mission team, this conglomerate rock holds a wealth of valuable information about the environment and potential signs of ancient microbial life. Pebbles and boulders found in a river play a crucial role in unraveling the mysteries of the past.
But the journey of these samples is far from over. As part of the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return campaign, the samples collected by Perseverance will be returned to Earth for further analysis. Scientists will meticulously examine each pebble and fragment in the core to determine their age and the environmental conditions when the conglomerate formed.
While the rover is currently on its third science campaign, exploring the top of a fan-shaped pile of sedimentary rock, it is also headed towards a low ridge known as “Snowdrift Peak.” However, before reaching its destination, the rover will have to navigate through a challenging field of boulders.
Interestingly, boulders are highly sought after as they offer a larger surface area for visual investigation of potentially distinct rocks. The mission team is prepared to halt and examine any boulder that stands out and piques their curiosity.
The ultimate goal of the Perseverance mission on Mars is to uncover signs of ancient microbial life. Additionally, the mission aims to study the planet’s geology and past climate, paving the way for future human exploration of Mars. It marks the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.
Looking ahead, subsequent NASA missions, in collaboration with ESA, will be responsible for sending spacecraft to Mars to retrieve these sealed samples and bring them back to Earth for detailed analysis. This next step will provide an unprecedented opportunity to study the Martian samples up close and unlock the secrets of our neighboring planet.
