NASA's Perseverance Rover Embarks on Bold New Climb on Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover is undertaking a challenging climb on Mars, aiming to ascend 1,000 feet to the Jezero Crater rim to collect rock samples. Since its landing in 2021, it has gathered 22 samples. Scientists hope these will reveal Mars' ancient climate and possible signs of past life.

NASA's Perseverance rover is set to scale a steep new challenge on Mars. The six-wheeled machine has spent the past 3 1/2 years exploring the base of a crater, and it began its ascent to the top on Tuesday.

The goal is to climb 1,000 feet (305 meters) to the rim of Jezero Crater, where it will collect additional rock samples. Since landing on the Martian surface in 2021, Perseverance has amassed 22 rock core samples from the crater's floor, an area that once held water.

These samples could allow scientists to reconstruct Mars' climate from billions of years ago and detect any signs of ancient Martian life. NASA is also investigating ways to return these rock samples to Earth for further analysis.

The bedrock at the crater's rim may provide insights into the formation of rocky planets like Mars and Earth, according to Steven Lee of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

However, the path ahead is fraught with challenges. Perseverance must navigate rocky terrain and slopes inclined up to 23 degrees over several months.

"Perseverance has certainly been a real trooper," noted Lee. To date, the rover has covered roughly 29 kilometers in its mission.

The rocks at the top could have originated from past hydrothermal vents, where heated water and dissolved minerals emerged after circulating beneath the planet's surface. On Earth, similar sites, such as those in Yellowstone National Park, are considered potential cradles of life.

(With inputs from agencies.)