NASA's Perseverance rover is exploring an ancient river delta on Mars, collecting samples that might contain signs of past life. Follow along on this historic mission!
1Why Jezero Crater?
Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater in February 2021 because scientists believe it was once filled with water. A river flowed into this crater billions of years ago, creating a delta — a fan-shaped deposit of sediment. On Earth, river deltas are rich with life. If Mars ever had living organisms, Jezero is one of the best places to find evidence.
- Jezero Crater is 45 km wide — once a deep lake
- An ancient river carved a channel into the crater
- Delta sediments could preserve microbial fossils
- The crater is 3.5 billion years old
2Meet Ingenuity: The Mars Helicopter
Perseverance brought along a small helicopter named Ingenuity. Originally planned for just 5 test flights, Ingenuity completed over 70 flights before retiring! It proved that powered flight is possible on Mars despite the thin atmosphere. Future Mars helicopters could scout ahead for rovers and even astronauts.
Flying on Mars is incredibly hard because the atmosphere is 100 times thinner than Earth's. Ask your kids: how would they design a helicopter for Mars? What would be different from helicopters on Earth?
3Collecting Samples for Earth Return
Perseverance is doing something no rover has done before: sealing rock and soil samples in special tubes and leaving them on the Martian surface. A future mission will pick up these tubes and launch them back to Earth. Scientists will then study them with powerful lab equipment that cannot fit on a rover.
- Over 20 sample tubes collected so far
- Samples include river delta rocks, volcanic basalt, and regolith
- Mars Sample Return mission planned for the early 2030s
- First time samples from another planet will be brought to Earth
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4What Has Perseverance Found?
The rover has discovered organic molecules in Jezero's rocks — the building blocks of life. It has also found evidence that the crater experienced multiple periods of flooding. While organic molecules do not prove life existed, they are exactly what scientists hoped to find. The real answers will come when those samples reach Earth.
Follow Perseverance on social media! NASA posts regular updates, photos, and even audio recordings from Mars. Your kids can hear what wind sounds like on another planet!
