Now the robot will be dedicated to exploring the remains of the delta – Photo: Reproduction / Internet.
The Perseverance robot, which arrived on Mars in February this year, has already helped Earth scientists deepen theories about the red planet. The study, published in the journal Science Oct. 7, used images taken by a robot to confirm the existence of the lake.
Perseverance explored the so-called Jezero crater. The site has piqued the interest of scientists from the American Space Agency (NASA) and others on the mission due to the possibility that there was life here in the past. The images showed not only that the lake existed in the crater, but that it was fed by the river.
According to the study, the lake has existed for billions of years when the Martian atmosphere allowed water to flow over the planet’s surface.
The volume of water in it has fluctuated greatly over time, but it is not yet known whether this was caused by flooding or climate change. The lake has dried up.
In addition to important confirmation for scientists, Perseverance images have also provided information that should aid in a mission to confirm that Mars once had life, even microscopically.
Using the robot’s supercamera, it was possible to identify places with great potential for finding pieces of rock and sediment that may contain organic components and other evidence of the existence of life.
The search for this evidence is part of the main Perseverance mission that was sent to Mars in 2020. It is expected to collect rocky materials that will be sent back to Earth and then analyzed by scientists.
This article was the first to be created using data from Perseverance. Now the robot will be dedicated to exploring the remains of the delta – a rocky body formed by sediments – of the river that passed through the crater.
The base of this delta is considered to be a site with great potential for the extraction of rocks that may contain organic matter, according to mission scientists.
