{"id":24610,"date":"2022-05-17T22:01:46","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T14:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/mars-2020-continues-science-in-jezero-mars-odyssey-solves-martian-frost-mystery\/"},"modified":"2022-05-17T22:01:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T14:01:46","slug":"mars-2020-continues-science-in-jezero-mars-odyssey-solves-martian-frost-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/mars-2020-continues-science-in-jezero-mars-odyssey-solves-martian-frost-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"Mars 2020 continues science in Jezero, Mars Odyssey solves Martian frost mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"

In late April, Perseverance<\/em> and Ingenuity<\/em> arrived at the edge of Jezero Crater\u2019s ancient river delta \u2014 an area of the crater that was likely once formed by flowing water, and a major focus of the Mars 2020 mission. Perseverance<\/em>\u2018s arrival at the delta marked the beginning of the rover\u2019s second science campaign in the crater, officially kicking off on sol 407 of the mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life,\u201d said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, as Perseverance<\/em> and Ingenuity<\/em> were studying Mars on the surface, Mars Odyssey and a team of researchers were solving a mystery involving invisible Martian frost and dust avalanches.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Mars 2020 begins second science campaign<\/p>\n

A major focus of the Mars 2020 mission is to search for signs of past biological life and research the possible habitability of Mars millions and billions of years ago. To achieve these goals, Mars 2020 team members decided to land Perseverance<\/em> and Ingenuity<\/em> in Jezero Crater \u2014 a massive crater once thought to be filled with flowing water.<\/p>\n

One of the likely sources of Jezero Crater\u2019s water was a large river delta located on the western side of the crater. When determining where to land Mars 2020, the Jezero delta was a major point of interest for the teams as life forms would have likely flourished there.<\/p>\n

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The Jezero Crater river delta (located near the center of the image). (Credit: ESA\/DLR\/FU-Berlin)<\/p>\n

After landing near the delta in February 2021 and completing the commissioning process, Perseverance<\/em> and Ingenuity<\/em> departed Octavia E. Butler Landing and began their first science campaign. However, this science campaign would see the robotic duo travel away from the delta rather than towards it.<\/p>\n

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A primary focus of the mission\u2019s first science campaign was to collect, characterize, and study rocks, bedrock, and other surface features in Jezero. The two areas the first campaign was focused on were the S\u00e9\u00edtah and the Crater Floor Fractured Rough, both located south of the rover\u2019s landing site.<\/p>\n

As aforementioned, Perseverance<\/em>\u2018s successful collection of surface samples was a primary focus of the first science campaign in Jezero. In total, Perseverance<\/em> collected eight surface samples in the S\u00e9\u00edtah and the Crater Floor Fractured Rough areas \u2014 proving that the rover\u2019s sample collection system worked as intended.<\/p>\n

Perseverance<\/em> collected the eighth and final sample of the first science campaign on sol 377 in March, officially bringing the campaign to a close.<\/p>\n

With the first campaign over, the Perseverance<\/em> and Ingenuity<\/em> teams set their sights on the intriguing Jezero delta. However, they first needed to get there \u2014 and they wanted to get there fast.<\/p>\n

To reach the delta as soon as possible, Perseverance<\/em> teams programmed the rover to begin a daring five-kilometer dash across Jezero\u2019s surface to reach the delta on March 14 \u2014 all the while traveling faster than any other Mars rover that preceded it. What\u2019s more, Ingenuity<\/em> periodically flew alongside Perseverance<\/em> as the rover made its trek to the delta, flying some of the longest and furthest flights the little helicopter has performed on the red planet.<\/p>\n