It's been about three months since PerseverancePerseverance climbs the slippery and steep slope that marks the rim of Jezero Crater. But, finally, NASA has just announced that its rover has arrived at the summit. He is currently located at the place called Lookout Hillfrom where he sent some photos.
If the terrain now looks easier for the robotrobot on six wheels (it should be noted that Perseverance climbed 500 meters in altitude with sometimes difficult passages and slopes of 20%), the rest of the scientific program should also bring its share of new features. Because by leaving the bottom of the crater, where it landed in February 2021, the rover is now venturing into terrain of a very different nature.
Perseverance is now venturing into terrain of a very different nature
The data collected by Perseverance first made it possible to unambiguously prove that the crater housed a lake 3.5 billion years ago. He then went to closely observe the geological formation associated with an ancient deltadeltaattesting that this lake was fed by a river. Finally, during his ascent, he was able to carry out numerous observations and analyzes of particularly atypical rocks – whose origin remains uncertain for the moment – which should help to better understand the geological history of the crater. Now, the rover is driving on complex terrain, inherited from the formation of the crater itself.
The edge of the crater on which Perseverance evolves is thus made up of rocks coming from the crustcrust deep of Mars, which were pulverized and thrown during the impact. The analysis of these rocks should thus provide valuable information on the nature and history of the Martian crust. These are therefore very old rocks, inherited from the formation of the planet, very different from sedimentary rockssedimentary rocks lacustrinelacustrine that the rover was able to analyze at the bottom of the crater. As its journey progresses, the rover goes back in time, as it were.
Panorama of the Jezero crater on the planet Mars by the Perseverance rover. © NASA, JPL, YouTube
Several scientifically very important stops planned over the coming months
But, no time to waste. As soon as we reached the ridge, Perseverance set off again, heading towards its next stop: Witch Hazel Hill. An important site because satellite images suggest that the rover will find an important outcropoutcrop rocky laminatelaminate which should provide important information about Mars' past.
Afterwards, Perseverance will head for the Lake of CharmsCharms. Another site of major interest since it is clearly located in the plain which surrounds the crater. A position which could make it possible to obtain information not linked to the formation of the Jezero crater.
Finally, it is planned that the rover will return to the edge of the crater to study a large rock block spotted by scientists and which could represent a fragment of the deep Martian crust produced during a major impact which gave birth to the basin ofThe Plains of Isis1,200 kilometers wide. It is the third largest impact basin on Mars. The Jezero crater where Perseverance is located is also located on the western edge of this immense basin.
The position of NASA's Mars rover Perseverance as of December 4, 2024 and the route for the mission called Northern Rim. © JPL, YouTube
The rover's 2025 program is therefore already quite full, including the completion of several samplings which, we hope, will one day find their way to Earth to be analyzed in detail.
