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 PerseveranceMission OverviewRover ComponentsWhere is Perseverance?Ingenuity Mars HelicopterMission UpdatesScienceOverviewScience ObjectivesScience InstrumentsScience HighlightsNews and FeaturesMultimediaPerseverance Raw ImagesMars ResourcesMars ExplorationAll PlanetsMercuryVenusEarthMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNeptunePluto & Dwarf PlanetsExplore This SectionPerseveranceScienceNews and FeaturesMultimediaMars ExplorationAll PlanetsMars 2020: Perseverance RoverNASA’s Mars Perseverance rover will seek signs of ancient life and collects samples of rock and regolith for possible Earth return.active MissionWhere is Perseverance?Mars Rock SamplesSciencePerseverance Selfie with IngenuityThe Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover searches for signs of ancient microbial life, to advance NASA's quest to explore the past habitability of Mars. The rover is collecting core samples of Martian rock and soil (broken rock and soil), for potential pickup by a future mission that would bring them to Earth for detailed study.TypeRoverLaunch / LandingJuly 30, 2020 / Feb. 18, 2021TargetJezero Crater, MarsObjectiveSeek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith  for possible Earth return.Unable to render the provided sourceExperience Earth, our solar system, nearby asteroids, the universe, and the spacecraft exploring them with immersive real-time 3D web-based apps for Mac, PC and mobile devices.NASA/JPL-Caltech/VTADMeet PerseveranceUnable to render the provided sourceLanding Site: Jezero CraterNASA chose Jezero Crater as the landing site for the Perseverance rover. Scientists believe the area was once flooded with water and was home to an ancient river delta. The process of landing site selection involved a combination of mission team members and scientists from around the world, who carefully examined more than 60 candidate locations on the Red Planet. After the exhaustive five-year study of potential sites, each with its own unique characteristics and appeal, Jezero rose to the top.Jezero Crater tells a story of the on-again, off-again nature of the wet past of Mars. More than 3.5 billion years ago, river channels spilled over the crater wall and created a lake. Scientists see evidence that water carried clay minerals from the surrounding area into the crater lake. Conceivably, microbial life could have lived in Jezero during one or more of these wet times. If so, signs of their remains might be found in lakebed or shoreline sediments. Scientists will study how the region formed and evolved, seek signs of past life, and collect samples of Mars rock and soil that might preserve these signs.Jezero Crater is 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide, and is located on the western edge of a flat plain called Isidis Planitia, which lies just north of the Martian equator. The landing site is about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) from Curiosity's landing site in Gale Crater.This image shows the remains of an ancient delta in Mars' Jezero Crater, which NASA's Perseverance Mars rover will explore for signs of fossilized microbial life.This image shows the remains of an ancient delta in Mars' Jezero Crater, which NASA's Perseverance Mars rover will explore for signs of fossilized microbial life.ESA/DLR/FU-Berlin**Sounds of Mars**Grab your headset, turn up the volume and listen for the subtle differences between the sounds on Earth versus how they would sound on the Red Planet.Listen to sounds on MarsRock formations on the surface of MarsObjectiveThe Perseverance rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, which will advance NASA's quest to explore the past habitability of Mars.This Mastcam-Z image shows a sample of Mars rock inside the sample tubeScienceThe rover’s mission has four science objectives: Studying Mars' Habitability, Seeking Signs of Past Microbial Life, Collecting and Caching Samples, and Preparing for Future Human Missions.A hole in the surface of Mars created by the Curiosity roverRaw ImagesView raw images sent back by Perseverance from its explorations on Mars.A rover is shown in front of a bright yellow-white light.ResourcesVisit the one-stop-shop for all Perseverance media.The partially illuminated core is visible in this image of Perseverance’s coring bit. The diameter of the core is 1.3 cm.Mission UpdatesRead updates provided by self-selected Mars 2020 mission team members who love to share what Perseverance is doing with the public.Featured Video**Mars Rock Samples: The Stories They Could Tell**NASA's Mars Perseverance rover is building a unique rock collection, which also includes samples of Mars atmosphere and loose surface material. These samples record the history of the Jezero Crater landing site, and may even preserve signs of ancient life. Learn more about these precious samples, which Mars Sample Return could deliver to Earth for detailed study in the future.Learn MoreMars Ingenuity HelicopterStrapped to the rover's belly for the journey to Mars was a technology demonstration — the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, which completed 72 historic flights making it the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet.Learn MoreThis enhanced color image of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance on April 16, 2023This enhanced color image of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance on April 16, 2023NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSSNews and FeaturesAll Perseverance Rover NewsArticle5 min readNASA’s Perseverance Fords an Ancient River to Reach Science TargetArticle5 min readNASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team Says Goodbye ... for Now5 min readRock Sampled by NASA’s Perseverance Embodies Why Rover Came to MarsArticle2 months ago4 min readTeam Assessing SHERLOC Instrument on NASA’s Perseverance RoverArticle4 months agomin readA New Home for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter PrototypeImage ArticleKeep ExploringDiscover More Topics From NASAJames Webb Space TelescopeThe image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.Perseverance RoverParker Solar ProbeJuno
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