NASA’s Perseverance rover is on course to land on Mars next week. An artist’s impression shows its target – Jezero Crater – as it might have appeared in the distant past.
Following in Curiosity’s footsteps, NASA’s Perseverance rover will attempt a daring high-speed descent to the surface of Mars on 21 February, depicted in an animation showing what flight controllers refer to as “seven minutes of terror.”
Stratigraphy in Gale Crater on Mars indicates the effects of megafloods in the distant past, most likely caused by the heat released in a major impact.
After years of studies, test-firings and a survey of U.S. industry in preparation for launch of a Mars Sample Return mission in 2026, NASA has settled on a solid-fueled design for a miniature rocket with a first-of-its-kind purpose: Launching a payload from Mars for a trip back to Earth.