Jezero Crater Archives

This graph displays data collected by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover from targets in a rock formation nicknamed "Bright Angel." Scientists later determined one of those targets, a rock nicknamed "Cheyava Falls" (second line from the top), contained a potential biosignature. -- NASA

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Mars Perseverance’s SHERLOC Finds Organic Molecules in Bright Angel

by Keith CowingOctober 29, 2025October 29, 2025

A potential biosignature is a substance or structure that might have a biological origin but requires more data or further study before a conclusion can be reached about the absence […]

An annotated version of the portrait captured by NASA’s Perseverance shows the location of the 10 sample tubes in the depot. The “Amalik” sample closest to the rover was about 10 feet (3 meters) away; the “Mageik” and “Malay” samples farthest away were approximately 197 feet (60 meters) from the rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS Full Image Details

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Sample Science Traceability Matrix for Perseverance’s Mars Sample Return Collection

by Keith CowingOctober 23, 2025October 22, 2025

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign aims to retrieve a set of carefully selected and documented samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in and around Jezero Crater on Mars and […]

Image of the “Peachflya” abrasion spot, from Perseverance’s WATSON Camera on sol 1620. NASA/JPL-Caltech larger image

Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors

Mars Perseverance Rover Abrasion Spots

by Keith CowingOctober 15, 2025

Perseverance accomplished something unusual this week: abrading two dramatically different rocks within the span of a few days. While exploring the Vernodden area along Jezero crater’s rim, the rover has […]

PIXL Micro Context Camera (MCC) images of the three regolith targets. (a–c) False color images of each target in the near-infrared (NIR; 735 nm), green (G; 530 nm), and blue (B; 450 nm) channels, flat-fielded and enhanced. (d–f) MCC ratio images of NIR/G reflectance values. Note that distinct classes of grains with similar spectral signatures are distinguishable within and between targets. The black, white, and orange arrows point to examples of the dark-, light-, and intermediate-toned grains, respectively. Rectangles show the extents of PIXL's XRF measurements. -- JGR Planets

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report

Mineralogically Diverse and Salt-Rich Regolith in Jezero Crater Characterized Using X-Ray Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingOctober 11, 2025October 11, 2025

The Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) onboard the Perseverance rover has characterized the composition of Martian regolith at a scale of hundreds of microns using micro-focus X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

Perseverance Rover in Action Example 360° mosaics. Mastcam-Z enhanced color RGB 360° panorama from the Perseverance rover. (A) OEB landing site, 34-mm focal length, sol 3. (B) Van Zyl Overlook, 110-mm focal length, sols 53 to 64. (C) Village outcrop, within Séítah, 110-mm focal length, sols 214 to 215. Cylindrical projection views with local azimuth cardinal points indicated and extending from −60° local elevation angle out to the horizon. -- eartharxiv.org

Analog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report

Reconstructing Jezero Crater’s Paleoenvironment: Insights from Perseverance Rover and Orbital Data

by Keith CowingOctober 8, 2025October 8, 2025

Jezero Crater on Mars is a critical site for investigating ancient aqueous environments due to its preserved delta and lacustrine features.

a Mars Orbital LASER Altimeter (MOLA) map of equatorial Mars with black boxes indicating locations of the Juventae Plateau and Aram Chaos (red indicates higher elevations and blue lower elevations). b View of the plateau above Juventae Chasma with compositional units from CRISM image FRT00005814 showing pyroxene-bearing basalt in green, polyhydrated sulfates in blue, and the Fe3+SO4OH-bearing phase in red over a High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) Digital Terrain Model (DTM). c Same CRISM compositional units over a HiRISE DTM (5x vertical exaggeration) with the basalt units split into basalt-1 in dark cyan and basalt-2 in medium green, scale bar for foreground. d CRISM spectra of unusual units with a band near 2.23 µm (top) and lab spectra of several minerals (bottom). Note that none of these minerals are a good spectral match to the CRISM spectra of the Fe3+SO4OH-bearing outcrop. -- Nature

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

A New Mineral Identified On Mars Providing Insight To Supporting Life

by Keith CowingSeptember 30, 2025September 30, 2025

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst are part of a team that has identified a unique mineral on Mars, described in Nature Communications. Named ferric hydroxysulfate, the mineral provides […]

Colorized HiRISE map of the western edge of Jezero crater with rover traverse. The colors of the traverse indicate the location of different science campaigns with green showing the Crater Floor campaign (Section 2.1), orange showing the Fan Front campaign (Section 2.2), blue showing the Upper Fan campaign (Section 2.2), and pink showing the Margin Unit campaign (Section 2.4). Black arrows indicate the location of two investigations on boulders (Section 2.3). Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) scans are indicated by either a square, triangle, or circle, indicating data collected on a natural surface target, an abrasion patch, or an abrasion patch where a sample was also collected, respectively. Sols associated with the triangles and circles indicate when the rover was at that location. The location of Three Forks Depot is shown by a star for reference. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Multiple Episodes of Fluid Alteration in Jezero Crater Indicated by MIST Mineral Identifications in PIXL XRF Data

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2025September 23, 2025

The Mineral Identification by Stoichiometry (MIST) algorithm can identify mineral species in geochemical data sets. MIST is applied to X-ray fluorescence chemical analyses from the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry […]

a, Orbital context image with the rover traverse overlain in white. White line and arrows show the direction of the rover traverse from the southern contact between the Margin Unit and Neretva Vallis to the Bright Angel outcrop area and then to the Masonic Temple outcrop area. Labelled orange triangles show the locations of proximity science targets discussed in the text. b, Mastcam-Z 360° image mosaic looking at the contact between the light-toned Bright Angel Formation (foreground) and the topographically higher-standing Margin Unit from within the Neretva Vallis channel. This mosaic was collected on sol 1178 from the location of the Walhalla Glades target before abrasion. Upslope, about 110 m distant, the approximate location of the Beaver Falls workspace (containing the targets Cheyava Falls, Apollo Temple and Steamboat Mountain and the Sapphire Canyon sample) is shown. Downslope, about 50 m distant, the approximate location of the target Grapevine Canyon is also shown. In the distance, at the southern side of Neretva Vallis, the Masonic Temple outcrop area is just visible. Mastcam-Z enhanced colour RGB cylindrical projection mosaic from sol 1178, sequence IDs zcam09219 and zcam09220, acquired at 63-mm focal length. A flyover of this area is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FAYABW-c_Q. Scale bars (white), 100 m (a), 50 m (b, top) and 50 cm (b, bottom left). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Potential Biosignatures Found In An Ancient Mars Lake

by Keith CowingSeptember 11, 2025September 18, 2025

A new study suggests a habitable past and signs of ancient microbial processes on Mars – and Imperial scientists provided crucial context.

Mineralogical map of Jezero crater explored by the Perseverance rover. This mineral map was created from near-infrared (1-2.6 µm) CRISM imagery (Parente et al., 2021) using recently developed technologies (Itoh et al., 2021; Saranathan et al., 2021) and overlain on High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE ) imagery. The basaltic rocks at the landing site are dominated by the minerals olivine (red) and pyroxene (tan). Further west, in regions called the Western Fan and Margin Unit, sedimentary rocks predominate. Smectite clay minerals rich in iron and magnesium (light to dark blue tones) and carbonate rich in magnesium and iron (green-yellow tones) were formed through aqueous processes. Unusual iron phosphate and iron sulfide minerals were found at the Bright Angel and Masonic Temple sites near Neretva Vallis (Hurowitz et al., 2025). Other iron phosphate minerals were observed at the Onahu site in the Western Fan region. Credit M. Parente

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Habitable Zones, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Perseverance Rover Uncovers Clues To Ancient Martian Chemistry

by Keith CowingSeptember 11, 2025

NASA’s Perseverance Rover spent three years exploring the floor of Jezero Crater, located just north of the Martian equator.

In this natural-color version of the "Falbreen" panorama, colors have not been enhanced and the sky appears more reddish. Visible still is Perseverance's 43rd rock abrasion (the white patch at center-left). The 96 images stitched together to create this 360-degree view were acquired May 26, 2025. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS Full Image Details

Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Perseverance Rover Captures Mars Vista As Clear As Day

by Keith CowingAugust 7, 2025September 18, 2025

The imaging team of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took advantage of clear skies on the Red Planet to capture one of the sharpest panoramas of its mission so far.

Jezero Crater

Mars Perseverance’s SHERLOC Finds Organic Molecules in Bright Angel

Sample Science Traceability Matrix for Perseverance’s Mars Sample Return Collection

Mars Perseverance Rover Abrasion Spots

Mineralogically Diverse and Salt-Rich Regolith in Jezero Crater Characterized Using X-Ray Spectroscopy

Reconstructing Jezero Crater’s Paleoenvironment: Insights from Perseverance Rover and Orbital Data

A New Mineral Identified On Mars Providing Insight To Supporting Life

Multiple Episodes of Fluid Alteration in Jezero Crater Indicated by MIST Mineral Identifications in PIXL XRF Data

Potential Biosignatures Found In An Ancient Mars Lake

Perseverance Rover Uncovers Clues To Ancient Martian Chemistry

Perseverance Rover Captures Mars Vista As Clear As Day

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,206 2 July 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) Concerns

Bridging Astrobiology Research and Education Through Interactive Learning Frameworks

Viking In The History And Future Of Astrobiology Programs

Collaborating With Artists In The Search For Life