Perseverance Rover Spots an Unusual Rock in Ancient River Channel (Mars Report)

As NASA’s Perseverance rover prepares to ascend to the rim of Jezero Crater, its team is investigating a rock unlike any that they’ve seen so far on Mars. Deputy project scientist Katie Stack Morgan explains why this rock, found in an ancient channel that funneled water into the crater, could be among the oldest that Perseverance has investigated – or the youngest. Plus, learn how the rover is equipped to determine when rocks are formed, and get a preview of where it will journey next. NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars in 2021, with a key objective to collect and cache samples that may contain signs of ancient microbial life. For more information on Perseverance, visit Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS