Perseverance Rover Archives

(a) Mastcam-Z image of the base of the delta with the Rockytop outcrop within the 6 m high scarp (sol 429, zcam08452) located at the base of the Tenby formation immediately overlying the Hogwallow Flats light-toned deposits. The white arrow indicates the fallen block where the SuperCam target Fourway has been analyzed. -- JGR Planets

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

In Situ Carbonation of Sedimentary and Igneous Rocks of Ultramafic Composition in Jezero Crater, Mars

by Keith CowingMay 15, 2026May 15, 2026

Over 3.5 years of exploration in Jezero Crater, the Perseverance rover has explored several geological units of diverse origins and natures, performing multi-technique remote analyses of the chemistry and mineralogy […]

NASA’s Perseverance looks down at a rocky outcrop nicknamed “Arethusa” and then appears to look into the camera in this animated selfie, which is composed of 61 images taken March 11, 2026, during the rover’s deepest push west beyond Jezero Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Analog Studies, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars’ Western Frontier

by Keith CowingMay 13, 2026May 13, 2026

The agency’s six-wheeled geologist took a self-portrait during its survey of an ancient landscape that may predate the formation of Jezero Crater itself.

TOP - NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree view of a region filled with low ridges called boxwork formations between Nov. 9 and Dec. 7, 2025. At 1.5 billion pixels, this is one of the largest panoramas Curiosity has ever taken. Larger image BOTTOM - NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this 360-degree panorama of a region nicknamed “Crocodile Bridge” on the rim of Jezero Crater. This region holds some of the oldest rocks anywhere in the solar system. Larger image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return

NASA’s Perseverance, Curiosity Panoramas Capture Two Sides of Mars

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2026April 28, 2026

NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet’s formation, watery past, and potential for life (astrobiology).

The same gentle wind that would create small ripples on a lake in Earth (right) would make large waves on Saturn’s largest moon Titan (left). In these renderings, the marker is measured in meters. Credit Courtesy of Taylor Perron, Una Schneck, et al

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Mars, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Waves Hit Different On Other Planets

by Keith CowingApril 20, 2026April 20, 2026

On a calm day, a light breeze might barely ripple the surface of a lake on Earth. But on Saturn’s largest moon Titan, a similar mild wind would kick up […]

This image was acquired on April 3, 2026 (Sol 1820) at the local mean solar time of 11:29:28. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Astrobiology Droid Perseverance At Work On Mars

by Keith CowingApril 12, 2026April 12, 2026

This photo was selected by public vote and featured as “Image of the Week” for Week 268 (March 29 – April 4, 2026) of the Perseverance rover mission on Mars.

Image of Coffee_Cove (Sol 1466) with the locations and fields of view for the luminescence analyses (a). Comparison of the luminescence spectra taken on Hampden_River and Coffee_Cove compared to lab spectra collected on a pure ruby, ruby in an amphibolite rock, and diaspore -- LPSC

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Mars, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

SuperCam Identifies Corundum In Jezero Crater, Mars, Using Time-Resolved Luminescence Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingApril 2, 2026April 2, 2026

The Perseverance rover recently began exploring the Jezero crater rim after traversing the crater floor, fan deposits, and margin unit. In the rim deposits, several plagioclase-rich light-toned float rocks (LTF) […]

a, We levitate a 500-μm silica sphere in an acoustic trap above a silica target plate. b, Charge is measured by applying a frequency-swept electric field, E(t), and extracting the trajectory of the sphere, y(t), using a high-speed camera. The amplitude and phase of y(t) at resonance depend, respectively, on the magnitude and sign of the particle’s charge, Q. c, Timed interruptions of the acoustic field trigger charge-exchanging collisions between the sphere and the plate, in which the sphere falls, bounces off the plate and is then ‘caught’ again. d, The entire system can be discharged using an X-ray photoionizer. e, Every sphere charges with a systematic sign and magnitude against its partner plate, but the slopes for an ensemble of sphere/plate pairs are spread randomly about zero. -- Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Astrochemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Colliding Dust And The Sparks Of Creation

by Keith CowingMarch 19, 2026

Two microscopic grains collide and produce a tiny spark. This phenomenon may have provided the energy to kick off life on Earth. But if these solid particles have the same […]

the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover by CircuitMess

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Citizen Science / Open Science, Education and Outreach, Exploration Gear & Tech, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors

Build Your Own Mars Astrobiology Rover

by Keith CowingMarch 16, 2026March 16, 2026

Editor’s note: NASA currently has two droids at work on Mars: Perseverance and its Older sibling Curiosity. Their common task is to perform astrobiology and astrogeology exploration activities on Mars. […]

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU larger image

Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report

Mars Image Of The Week 262

by Keith CowingFebruary 28, 2026

This photo was selected by public vote and featured as “Image of the Week” for Week 262 (Feb. 15 – 21, 2026) of the Perseverance rover mission on Mars.

There is no GPS at the Red Planet, but a new technology called Mars Global Localization lets Perseverance determine precisely where it is — without human help.

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors

Perseverance Mars Rover Now Autonomously Pinpoints Its Location Using Generative AI

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2026February 18, 2026

Imagine you’re all alone, driving along in a rocky, unforgiving desert with no roads, no map, no GPS, and no more than one phone call a day for someone to […]