After an arduous ascent to the rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater, NASA’s Perseverance rover is doing a little sightseeing.
The most recent stop on its Red Planet road trip? A roughly 656-foot-long (200 meters) outcrop named Pico Turquino.
But it’s not all fun and games for the Mars rover. Perseverance has been studying the local regolith and nearby geological features with its Mastcam-Z and SuperCam instruments from its location near Pico Turquino. And soon, the six-wheeled robot will move on to abrasion testing at the site, scratching the surface of some of the rocks in this photo to study their composition and structure.
Through this work, the Perseverance science team hopes to unearth geologic evidence that either predates or is related to the impact that formed the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater — and potentially collect samples for NASA’s planned Mars Sample Return campaign. Ultimately, Perseverance is searching for signs of possible life on Mars, and perhaps the rocks at Pico Turquino might hold some clues.
Related: NASA’s Perseverance rover begins ambitious ascent up a Mars crater rim
This current quest is part of Perseverance’s Crater Rim Campaign, the rover’s fifth scientific effort on Mars, and what NASA officials have suggested might be “the most ambitious campaign the team has attempted so far.”
The journey began in August, when Perseverance left the Neretva Vallis region to make the roughly 1,000-foot (305 m) climb to the top of Jezero’s rim. And for months, the rover has delicately maneuvered up the difficult terrain of brittle crust; the rim’s upper portion has a slope of about 20 degrees and is covered by slippery sand and dust.
Along the way, Perseverance has stopped to inspect exposed rocks, as it’s doing at Pico Turquino. And it will continue to do so as it makes its way to the summit.
The rover’s next science target is Witch Hazel Hill, but before arriving there, it’ll pass through a high point at Lookout Hill. From there, the team anticipates pretty spectacular views both of Jezero Crater and the terrain beyond. Stay tuned for more photos from Perseverance!