Mars Perseverance Astrobiology Rover Tracks At Rio Chiquito

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this 360-degree panorama of an area nicknamed “Rio Chiquito” on Nov. 23, 2024, the 1,337th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rover’s tracks can be seen in the center of the image.

This enhanced-color version of the image is designed to bring out subtle details.

Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Astrobiology