Perseverance rover explores the mysterious history of Mars.

(To Quoc) - After a long journey of many months, the Perseverance rover of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has reached the summit of Jezero Crater - a giant crater on the surface of Mars.

According to CNN, this location is unlike any place Perseverance has explored during its more than three-year Mars exploration mission.

The rover's forward-right camera captured the first view of the Jezero crater rim on December 10th from a location called Lookout Hill. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Currently, this robotic explorer is continuing to observe some of the oldest rocks on Mars, which could reveal the planet's mysterious history and offer insights into the past existence of life on the red planet.

The rover has undertaken the task of determining whether life ever existed on Mars by collecting samples that may contain ancient microfossils.

During his three-and-a-half-month ascent, Perseverance reached an elevation of 1,640 feet (500 meters vertically), overcoming challenging slopes with an incline of 20 degrees.

The process of climbing to the rim of the giant Jezero crater involved challenging terrain similar to what the rover had encountered when descending to the bottom of the crater in February 2021. Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, devised innovative solutions, and the rover remains safe after the long journey.

" Scientists have developed innovative approaches to overcome these challenges, even trying driving in reverse to see if that helps. Remarkably, the autonomous vehicle has surpassed them all like a champion," Steven Lee, deputy project manager for Perseverance at JPL, said in a statement.

Previously, the Perseverance rover had conducted four inspections at the bottom of the Jezero crater, including exploration, observation, and sampling of rocks and dust. The bottom of the crater was once the site of an ancient lake dating back 3.7 billion years.

Now that Perseverance has reached the top of the crater, it will begin its next exploration campaign, visiting multiple sites over the next year to collect samples while on the move.

"The next campaign delivers a whole new treasure trove of science as Perseverance delves into entirely new geological areas," said Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist at the California Institute of Technology, in a statement.

Perseverance's next mission is toward Witch Hazel Hill, a large rocky outcrop approximately 1,500 feet (457 meters) long on the other side of the belt. The team conducting the mission on December 12 said Perseverance will be moving up and down the hills in this area for the next six months.

"Witch Hazel Hill represents approximately 330 feet (101 meters) of layered rock formation. Each layer is like a page in the history book of Mars. The process of studying the ancient Martian environment is recorded within the crater rim," said Candice Bedford, a Perseverance scientist from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, in a statement.

Exploring Mars

While the mission team eagerly prepared for Perseverance's next leg of the journey, they also took the time to share highlights from the rover's ascent.

The rover passed through an area with many bright white rocks, identified as quartz, during its ascent to the crater rim. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech

During its ascent, the probe captured images of fascinating rock formations, revealing different aspects of the red planet's history.

"On one occasion, Perseverance stumbled upon a zebra-striped rock that baffled scientists about its exact composition. This October, the rover also passed through an area with many bright white rocks, which Perseverance's instruments confirmed to be pure quartz. Perseverance has never discovered anything like these rocks before," scientist Farley said.

Mr. Farley said this is likely important because quartz rocks form from the circulation of hot water through rocks. Hot springs may have existed here.

"This is a potentially habitable environment, completely different from the habitat that the Perseverance rover surveyed on the crater floor," Farley said.

Although the quartz crystals are too small for Perseverance to drill and collect samples, the "quartz field" is still a noteworthy location for the rover to continue its survey. The possibility of hot springs appearing there is also understood to indicate a habitable environment, he said.

Currently, Perseverance will also study other rocks that existed before the impact to create the Jezero crater, which may be more than 4 billion years old.

"The age of the Solar System is about 4.5 billion years. In my personal opinion, this is really one of the most exciting things that the Mars exploration mission will accomplish in the near future. It's observing rocks that formed very early in the history of the Solar System, almost at the dawn of the Solar System. The early days of the Solar System are still not well understood. But Mars could be a good place to study how rocky planets formed in our Solar System," Farley added.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/xe-tu-hanh-perseverance-kham-pha-lich-su-bi-an-บน-sao-hoa-20241213103027689.htm