NASA’s Perseverance rover begins steep climb to crater rim on Mars

NEW YORK (AP) — NASA announced Perseverance vehicle He faces a major new challenge on the surface of Mars.

The six-wheeled vehicle has spent the past three and a half years cruising around the bottom of the crater. On Tuesday, it began its ascent to the top.

The vehicle will climb 1,000 feet (305 meters) to the rim of Jezero Crater. rock samplesSince landing on the Red Planet in 2021, Perseverance has collected 22 rock core samples from the bottom of the crater, which was once filled with water.

Samples collected by the rover could help scientists learn what the planet’s climate was like billions of years ago — and whether there was any ancient life on Mars. NASA is exploring ways to bring rock samples back to Earth.

Rocks on the rim of the crater may offer clues about how rocky planets like Mars and Earth formed, said Stephen Lee of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

But the road ahead won’t be easy. Perseverance will traverse rocky terrain and slopes that reach temperatures of 23 degrees during its months-long journey.

“Perseverance was definitely a warrior,” he told me. The rover covered about 18 miles (29 kilometers) during its exploration.

The rocks above the crater may have come from former hydrothermal vents—sites where hot water and molten minerals bubbled up after circulating beneath the planet’s surface. On Earth, such sites—such as Yellowstone National Park—are considered the cradle of life.

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