NASA picks ancient Martian river delta for rover landing
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NASA has picked an ancient river delta as the landing site for its Mars 2020 rover, to hunt for evidence of past life on the earth’s neighbouring planet, ocials said on Monday. Even though the Red Pla- net is now cold and dry, the landing site, Jezero Crater, was filled with a 500-meter deep lake that opened to a network of rivers some 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago. “The delta is a good place for evidence of life to be de- posited and then preserved for the billions of years that have elapsed since this lake was present,” Ken Farley, Mars 2020 project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab- oratory, told reporters on a conference call. Experts believe the 45-km wide basin could have col- lected and preserved an- cient organic molecules and other signs of microbial life. At least five different kinds of rocks, including “clays and carbonates that have high potential to preserve signatures of past life,” are believed to lie in the crater, just north of the Martian eq- uator, NASA said in a statement. Carbonate rock is pro- duced by the interaction of water, atmospheric gases and rock, and leaves clues about habitable environ- ments, said Farley. Scientists have debated where to land the rover for the past four years, and whit- tled down their decision from more than 60 possible sites. The $2.5 billion rover is planned to launch in July 2020, and land in February 2021. Mars 2020 is designed to land inside the crater and collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth for further analysis, perhaps by the later 2020s. Perilous landing But first, the rover has to make it to the surface intact and upright, dodging a field of boulders, sand traps and the edges of the delta. Mars 2020 will use the same sky crane landing that successfully delivered NA- SA’s unmanned Curiosity rover to a location called Gale Crater on Mars back in 2012. Gale Crater, with its many layers of sediment, was cho- sen to tell the story of how Mars transitioned from a warm, wet planet to the fri- gid and dusty one it is today. Mars 2020 is designed to look at rocks on a finer scale, seeing what biosignatures are preserved. NASA picks ancient Martian river delta for rover landing The basin may have preserved organic molecules and signs of microbial life Agence France-Presse Tampa Landing spot: Water carved channels and transported sediments to form fans and deltas within lake basins. * AFP
Transcript of NASA picks ancient Martian river delta for rover landing
NASA has picked an ancientriver delta as the landing sitefor its Mars 2020 rover, tohunt for evidence of past lifeon the earth’s neighbouringplanet, offi��cials said onMonday.
Even though the Red Pla-net is now cold and dry, thelanding site, Jezero Crater,was fi��lled with a 500-meterdeep lake that opened to anetwork of rivers some 3.5 to3.9 billion years ago.
“The delta is a good placefor evidence of life to be de-posited and then preservedfor the billions of years thathave elapsed since this lakewas present,” Ken Farley,Mars 2020 project scientistat NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab-oratory, told reporters on aconference call.
Experts believe the 45-kmwide basin could have col-lected and preserved an-cient organic molecules andother signs of microbial life.
At least fi��ve diff��erent kinds
of rocks, including “claysand carbonates that havehigh potential to preservesignatures of past life,” arebelieved to lie in the crater,just north of the Martian eq-uator, NASA said in astatement.
Carbonate rock is pro-duced by the interaction ofwater, atmospheric gases
and rock, and leaves cluesabout habitable environ-ments, said Farley.
Scientists have debatedwhere to land the rover forthe past four years, and whit-tled down their decisionfrom more than 60 possiblesites.
The $2.5 billion rover isplanned to launch in July
2020, and land in February2021.
Mars 2020 is designed toland inside the crater andcollect samples that willeventually be returned toEarth for further analysis,perhaps by the later 2020s.
Perilous landingBut fi��rst, the rover has tomake it to the surface intactand upright, dodging a fi��eldof boulders, sand traps andthe edges of the delta.
Mars 2020 will use thesame sky crane landing thatsuccessfully delivered NA-SA’s unmanned Curiosityrover to a location calledGale Crater on Mars back in2012.
Gale Crater, with its manylayers of sediment, was cho-sen to tell the story of howMars transitioned from awarm, wet planet to the fri-gid and dusty one it is today.
Mars 2020 is designed tolook at rocks on a fi��ner scale,seeing what biosignaturesare preserved.
NASA picks ancient Martianriver delta for rover landingThe basin may have preserved organic molecules and signs of microbial lifeAgence France-PresseTampa
Landing spot: Water carved channels and transportedsediments to form fans and deltas within lake basins. * AFP
