Perseverance Rover Updates

These updates are provided by self-selected Mars 2020 mission team members who love to share what Perseverance is doing with the public. Dates of planned rover activities described in these blogs are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of a black-and-white striped rock using its Left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. This image was acquired on Sept. 13, 2024 (Sol 1268) at the local mean solar time of 12:40:29.

A Striped Surprise

3 min read

Last week, team scientists and the internet alike were amazed when Perseverance spotted a black-and-white striped rock unlike any seen on Mars before. Is this a sign of exciting discoveries to come?

Article2 weeks ago

NASA's Perseverance rover took a photo of the Mars terrain of a bedrock in exposed rocks on the rim.

Reaching New Heights to Unravel Deep Martian History!

2 min read

The Perseverance rover is reaching new heights as it ascends the rim of Jezero crater (over 300 meters in elevation higher than the original landing site)! The rover is now enroute to its first campaign science stop Dox Castle (image…

Article3 weeks ago

An image from the Martian surface shows light beige, rocky terrain under a sky that’s a cool, pale yellow and casts a haze across the scene. The camera’s-eye view from below the rover shows the robotic arm reaching for a large, flat rock just left of image center, and atop the rock is a circular indentation where it looks like a medium-sized coin was pressed into the dirt. A section of the rover blocks off the top quarter of the image frame, while a support rod stretches toward one of the rover’s wheels, at the right edge of the frame, where it’s viewed edge-on, so you can see the swirl of its spokes, and the ribbed tread of its wheel.

Margin’ up the Crater Rim!

2 min read

To conclude its exploration of the mysterious margin unit before it ascends the rim of Jezero Crater, Perseverance made one last stop this past week to investigate these strange rocks at “Eremita Mesa.” Since beginning its steep drive up the…

Article3 weeks ago

A color image from the Martian surface shows dunes extending from the left side of the frame down toward the bottom right corner, barely visible through a thick haze of pale yellowish-orange that covers the entire scene.

Persevering Through the Storm

2 min read

It's dust-storm season on Mars! Over the past couple of weeks, as we ascended the Jezero Crater rim, our science team has monitored increasing dust in the atmosphere — typically highest around this time of the Martian year.

Article4 weeks ago

Behind the Scenes at the 2024 Mars 2020 Science Team Meeting

3 min read

The Mars 2020 Science Team meets in Pasadena for 3 days of science synthesis

Article1 month ago

This panorama shows the area NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover will climb in coming months to crest Jezero Crater’s rim. It is made up of 59 images taken by the rover’s Mastcam-Z on Aug. 4.

Perseverance Kicks off the Crater Rim Campaign!

3 min read

Perseverance is officially headed into a new phase of scientific investigation on the Jezero Crater rim!

Article1 month ago

Rocky, pale-orange-colored terrain on Mars. What looks like fine-gran sand is interspersed with many jagged rocks pointing out of the ground; a few of the rocks are gray, not orange.

Interesting Rock Textures Galore at Bright Angel

2 min read

Upon the rover’s arrival at Bright Angel – where Perseverance encountered unusual popcorn-like textures – it was so exciting to see all the interesting features in the rocks of this interval! In particular, these rocks contain an abundance of veins…

Article3 months ago

This image was acquired by the Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A on June 16, 2024 (Sol 1181) at the local mean solar time of 14:20:10. The image shows the area in front of the rover at Bright Angel with the arm extended as the PIXL instrument investigates the surface.

A Bright New Abrasion

2 min read

Last week, Perseverance arrived at the long-awaited site of Bright Angel, named for being a light-toned rock that stands out in orbital data.

Article4 months ago

A jumbled field of light toned rocks with unusual ‘popcorn’-like textures and abundant mineral veins.

Perseverance Finds Popcorn on Planet Mars

2 min read

After months of driving, Perseverance has finally arrived at ‘Bright Angel’, discovering oddly textured rock unlike any the rover has seen before.

Article4 months ago

Bright Rocks and “Bright Angel”

2 min read

Last week the Perseverance rover descended into Neretva Vallis, an ancient river channel that brought water into Jezero Crater billions of years ago. Rocks found in Neretva Vallis could have come from far upstream, giving us the opportunity to examine…

Article4 months ago