The Jezero crater on the planet Mars, photographed by Perseverance.
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AFP
Perseverance continues to show us the planet Mars in a new light.
Nasa on Wednesday released a spectacular panoramic photo of Mars taken by the rover over the area where it landed last week.
The photo, reconstructed from several snapshots taken by the vehicle, shows the ridge of Jezero crater, which scientists say contained a deep lake into which a river flowed about 3.5 billion years ago.
In total, Perseverance took 142 360-degree shots with the high-definition cameras installed on its mast.
New postcard from Mars: this high-definition panoramic image from @ NASAPersevere's Mastcam-Z reveals the rim of Jezero Crater and cliff face of an ancient river delta in the distance: https://t.co/dRVuS6mxT3 pic.twitter.com/ ElqbHqIIhw
- NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2021
"We are installed on a very good site, from where we can see characteristics very similar to those found by Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity, [three rovers having preceded Perseverance on the red planet], on their landing zone", said Jim Bell of the University of Arizona.
Look for traces of life
The American space agency has the explicit goal of finding traces of ancient life on the red planet, by collecting for at least two years up to thirty rock samples.
Perseverance cameras will help scientists determine the geological history and atmospheric conditions of the crater, and identify the rocks and sediments that will be collected before being transported to Earth on a future mission, scheduled for the 2030s.
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