Perseverance Rover Updates

These updates are provided by self-selected Mars 2020 mission team members who love to share what Perseverance is doing with the public. Dates of planned rover activities described in these blogs are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.

A fisheye color image of the Martian surface shows a desert-like landscape in pale orange, with a pair of rover wheel tracks starting at the bottom of the frame and extending far into the distance, converging and disappearing into the hazy horizon near the top of the image. Parts of the Perseverance rover – and the shadows they cast on the ground – are visible at the bottom corners of the frame, including the wheel that made the right-hand set of tracks.

Looking Out for ‘Lookout Hill’

2 min read

At Pico Turquino, a bedrock mesa on the Jezero crater rim, the science and engineering teams planned proximity science on Percy’s 30th abrasion patch, Rio Chiquito. SCAM and ZCAM characterized the rock near the abrasion, while SHERLOC and PIXL instruments…

Article14 hours ago

3 A color photo from the Martian surface shows a desert-like landscape in pale golden brown, with fine soil in the foreground and scattered large rocks protruding from the surface from the middle of the scene toward the horizon beyond. The view, from underneath the Perseverance rover, shows the underside of the rover, in shadow at the top of the frame. One of the rover’s wheels is visible at lower left, and its tracks mark the ground from that wheel along the bottom of the frame to the lower right corner.

You Are Now Arriving at ‘Pico Turquino’

2 min read

Earth planning date: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 Perseverance has been continuing its sightseeing tour of the Jezero crater rim, with this week’s travel itinerary including an up-close look at “Pico Turquino.” Here, the team hopes to investigate the history recorded…

Article1 week ago

NASA's Perseverance rover acquired this image of a field of bright white float rocks on the Jezero crater rim using its onboard Right Navigation Camera (Navcam).

Peculiar Pale Pebbles

3 min read

During its recent exploration of the crater rim, Perseverance diverted to explore a strange, scattered field of bright white rocks which sparked the interest of the team scientists.

Article4 weeks ago

Katie Stack Morgan and Nicole Spanovich with the NASA Here to Observe Program students and faculty from Kutztown University.

Mars 2020 Perseverance Joins NASA’s Here to Observe Program

2 min read

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission has recently joined the NASA Here to Observe (H2O) program, where NASA planetary missions are partnered with universities to encourage undergraduate students from historically marginalized groups to pursue a career in STEM.

Article1 month ago

Image taken by Perseverance of rocky slopes of the Jezero crater rim.

A Spooky Soliday: Haunting Whispers from the Martian Landscape

2 min read

The Perseverance rover lurks in the quiet, cold, desolate landscape of Jezero crater on Mars, a place masked in shadows and haunted by past mysteries. Built to endure the planet’s harsh conditions, Perseverance braves the thin atmosphere and extreme temperature…

Article1 month ago

A close-up color photo of the Martian surface shows pale orange, rocky ground, with a circular outline scraped into the ground covering the upper left quarter of the frame. Inside the circle, chipped areas reveal several bright white spots, as well as a small spot of pale green. Another, larger green spot sits outside the circle, in the far upper left corner of the image.

Red Rocks with Green Spots at ‘Serpentine Rapids’

2 min read

After discovering and sampling the “leopard spots” of “Bright Angel,” it became apparent that Perseverance’s journey of discovery in this region was not yet finished. Approximately 20 sols (Martian days) after driving south across Neretva Vallis from Bright Angel, the…

Article2 months ago

Image from Perseverance’s Right Navigation Camera, looking back towards rover tracks from past drives, into Jezero crater. The camera is located high on the rover mast, and here the rover is looking back in the direction of the Jezero crater floor.

Just Keep Roving

2 min read

Throughout the past week, Perseverance has continued marching up the Jezero crater rim. This steep ascent through the Martian regolith (soil) can prove to be slow driving for the rover, as the wheels can slip on the steepest areas.

Article2 months ago

Close-up view of Cheyava Falls natural surface on Mars where chunks of olivine (pale green) in the straight veins and leopard spots in the center are seen.

Perseverance Matters

2 min read

It is an important and exciting juncture in Mars exploration and astrobiology. This year, the SHERLOC instrument beat the odds and made one of the most exciting discoveries of the Mars 2020 mission.

Article2 months ago

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of a black-and-white striped rock using its Left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. This image was acquired on Sept. 13, 2024 (Sol 1268) at the local mean solar time of 12:40:29.

A Striped Surprise

3 min read

Last week, team scientists and the internet alike were amazed when Perseverance spotted a black-and-white striped rock unlike any seen on Mars before. Is this a sign of exciting discoveries to come?

Article3 months ago

NASA's Perseverance rover took a photo of the Mars terrain of a bedrock in exposed rocks on the rim.

Reaching New Heights to Unravel Deep Martian History!

2 min read

The Perseverance rover is reaching new heights as it ascends the rim of Jezero crater (over 300 meters in elevation higher than the original landing site)! The rover is now enroute to its first campaign science stop Dox Castle (image…

Article3 months ago