The future of the Mars Sample Return mission that was to return core samples to Earth for detailed study, looking for signs of possible past Martian life, is uncertain as NASA’s Perseverance rover continues its extended mission exploring Jezero Crater.
The rover successfully landed on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, its primary surface mission designed to last one Mars year, or 687 Earth days. It reached that milestone on Jan. 6, 2023 and it is now in its extended mission.
We last reported the rover’s progress in the December 2023 EXPLORER. As of July 10, 2024, Sol 1204, Perseverance has traveled 17 miles and acquired 23 samples out of 38 total sample tubes for the entire mission. The rover has returned more than 685,000 raw images that are publicly available in the mission multimedia catalog.
We are able to follow Perseverance exploration progress through the reports of associate scientists, NASA’s daily posted Location Map of Mars Perseverance Rover, and correlate these reports with daily images received in the Perseverance Raw Image Library.
Jan 25: Margin Unit Airey Hill to Flat Point
Since the December 2023 update in EXLORER, Perseverance has explored the hydrated carbonate Margin Unit from Airey Hill to Flat Point. The Margin Unit was identified from near-infrared spectral data from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The rover utilized Mastcam-Z to image more distant parts of the Margin Unit. After that, it traveled southeast, parallel to a ridge showing apparent layering. Perseverance then proceeded east across the Margin Unit to reach an area named Beehive Geyser, located on the eastern side of the Margin Unit and adjacent to the Neretva Vallis channel.
The terrain of the Margin Unit was challenging for driving, resulting in slow progress. Using the PIXL, SHERLOC and WATSON instruments, the team investigated a surface bedrock target named Minga. Mastcam-Z multispectral imaging of targets Browera and Naronga revealed a fascinating variety of minerals at the grain level, which appear as a colorful array in the multispectral data products. Additionally, SCAM LIBS and VISIR observations were conducted on potential mineral veins on several target rocks.
The detections presented here reveal a complex aqueous alteration history at Jezero. SuperCam data using the variability of carbonate composition and textures, will help scientists understand alteration episodes. The geochemical data and interpretations of these observations are expected to be presented at the 53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston in March next year.
Feb: 8: Farewell to Ingenuity
On Jan. 18, the Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its 72nd and final flight, suffering rotor blade damage on landing, leading NASA to retire it. After covering 17 kilometers, its mission ended due to damaged rotor blades on its last flight. Ingenuity’s remarkable journey began three years ago on the floor of Jezero Crater and concluded in Neretva Vallis, the ancient channel that once fed water into Jezero Crater lake. It became the first craft to achieve controlled, powered flight on another planet, providing the science team access to previously inaccessible landscapes. Perseverance drove within 450 meters of the helicopter and captured long-distance images of Ingenuity with Mastcam-Z.
Perseverance continued to explore the hydrated carbonate Margin Unit. The rover team conducted SuperCam LIBS and VISIR observations of a pitted rock named Porkchop Geyser and captured Mastcam-Z images of a rubbly outcrop called Muiron Island.
Feb: 14-29: Margin Unit at Beehive Geyser
Perseverance continued its uphill journey through the challenging terrain of the Margin Unit heading toward Beehive Geyser. This region is about 60 meters stratigraphically above the strata of the Margin Unit sampled in September and December 2023 (samples 22-23). The rover’s RIMFAX ground-penetrating radar imaged a carbonate ridge and the rover acquired geochemical data using the SuperCam laser. A large target rock on the ridge was nicknamed Bunsen Peak to be investigated further. Bunsen Peak is of interest due to its prominent position in the surrounding terrain and its surface texture on the near-vertical left face. The protruding lip of rock being investigated by the rover’s arm appears darker and less dust-covered, making it a good spot for the rover to acquire geochemical data. The WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera captured high-resolution close-up pictures of the rock’s surface. The SuperCam LIBS (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy) instrument also performed chemical analyses on Bunsen Peak, which will be correlated with WATSON’s high-resolution images to provide a comprehensive data suite.
April 16: Comet Geyser Sample from Bunsen Peak Rock
Perseverance used its spectrometers, SuperCam and PIXL, to scan Bunsen Peak’s surface. After abrading the rock’s surface, the rover scanned it again, revealing that Bunsen Peak consists of 75-percent carbonate grains cemented by nearly pure silica. Following this investigation, the unique composition of the rock warranted the collection of Perseverance’s 24th sample, named Comet Geyser. Bunsen Peak is named after a notable peak in Yellowstone National Park. Comet Geyser takes its name from a silica-sintered cone geyser in Yellowstone.
The rock’s origin is still being investigated, with the rover team exploring various hypotheses. This core is particularly exciting because it mainly consists of two minerals: carbonate and silica. Both minerals are excellent at preserving biosignatures of fossil life. Additionally, they can record the environment of their formation, making them crucial for understanding the habitability of Jezero Crater about 3.5 billion years ago.
Carbonate minerals in Earth’s geological record are often used to reconstruct ancient climates and the history of life. Similarly, silica can form when water reacts with sediment and rock. The composition and crystalline structure of silica can reveal details about the aqueous alteration conditions during its formation.
Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist at Caltech, commented on the Comet Geyser sample, stating, “This is the kind of rock we had hoped to find when we decided to investigate Jezero Crater.”
On Earth, silica and carbonate can preserve biosignatures for billions of years, containing some of the oldest evidence of life. Rocks with this composition are considered high-priority samples for searching for fossil microbial life.
June 5: More Carbonates at Old Faithful Geyser
Recently, Perseverance stopped near Overlook Mountain to examine and abrade and examine a rock named Old Faithful Geyser, located on the western side of the Margin Unit. Perseverance has drilled three core samples from the Margin Unit at Pelican Point on Sol 923, at Lefroy Bay on Sol 942 and at Comet Geyser on Sol 1088. Orbital data and rover geochemical data for each of these targets have confirmed carbonate composition. However, the mineral assemblages in each sample are different, suggesting that the carbonates in the eastern and western parts of the Margin Unit may have formed in different ways or experienced different post-depositional alteration.
JPL Perseverance Mission research scientist Kathryn Stack Morgan commented on the speckled light-colored boulder imaged and analyzed on Sol 1162 (May 27) while exploring Neretva Vallis.
“The boulder is so exceptional, scientists have said it’s in a league of its own. Closer analysis with the rover’s instruments shows it is likely an anorthosite, a (feldspar) rock type never seen before while exploring Mars, though there have been signs such rocks should exist. Seeing a rock like Atoko Point is one of these hints that, yes, we do have anorthosites on Mars, and this might be a sampling of that lower crust material. If we see it later on in the context of other rocks, it can give us a sense for how the earliest crust of Mars kind of came to be,” she explained.
Since Perseverance has only drilled one sample since December 2023, the author asked her if the rover will backtrack to take priority samples or climb out of Jezero Crater beyond the rim.
“Perseverance is not planning to backtrack into the carbonate-bearing margin unit to collect more samples at this time, and our margin unit exploration is largely in the rear-view mirror at this point,” she answered. “The rover is now in Neretva Vallis, the main inlet valley that fed the Jezero western fan, and we’re preparing to explore one of the light-toned outcrops (that we’ve named Bright Angel) on the valley floor. After we explore Bright Angel (which will include abrasion and possibly a sample), we will head up the Jezero Crater rim to begin the next phase of our mission exploring the ancient Noachian crust that pre-date the Jezero impact, but is well exposed at the rim.”
Arriving at Bright Angel
Perseverance arrived at the base of the Bright Angel outcrop on Sol 1175, finding strange textures on light-toned rocks. These rocks are filled with sharp ridges and densely packed with small spheres with a popcorn-like texture. These features imply that groundwater flowed through these rocks after they were deposited. The textures are suggestive of gypsum desert roses, however the chemical signature of calcium sulfate here has not been revealed by the science team.
Mars Sample Return in Jeopardy
As reported in the December EXPLORER, the Independent Review Board report highlighted that the cost and complexity of the planned Mars Sample Return mission was not possible without simplification and cost cutting. They did underscore the importance of the mission. Members of IRB issued a joint statement reading, “A successful MSR campaign will revolutionize our understanding of the history of Mars, the solar system, and the potential for life beyond Earth.”
NASA must proceed with its initiative to bring back Martian samples, ensuring it doesn’t adversely affect other scientific pursuits within the space agency.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Associate Administrator Nicky Fox are calling for alternative mission architectures.
“I have asked our folks to reach out with a request for information to industry, to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and to all NASA centers and to report back this fall an alternate plan that would get (the samples) back quicker and cheaper,” said Nelson at the April 15 press conference.
“We made the choice that, of those that were arguing that this program should be zeroed out, that this was too important to our country, that returning the samples from Mars remains an important operation,” he added.
On June 7, NASA announced seven ideas selected for simpler, less costly MSR proposed from Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Aerojet, Blue Origin, Quantum Space, Northrop Grumman, and Whittinghill Aerospace for 90-day study fixed-price contracts.
“I’m excited to see the vision that these companies, centers, and partners present,” said Nelson.
NASA’s Mars Sample Return is a strategic partnership with the European Space Agency. MSR will launch samples into Mars orbit and rendezvous with the ESA-developed Earth Return Orbiter.
NASA Joins ESA Rosalind Franklin Rover Mission
Two years ago, the ESA ceased its collaboration with Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In response, ESA, along with its member states and European industry, restructured the mission with new partners. Now, ESA and NASA are partnering on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Mission through an agreement that includes significant NASA provisions such as the launch vehicle, heater units for the rover and parts of the landing propulsion system.
Both agencies have signed a new memorandum of understanding to formalize these contributions. ESA plans to launch this ambitious mission in 2028, with the goal of searching for past and present signs of life on Mars.
“This pivotal agreement strengthens our collaborative efforts for the ExoMars program and ensures that the Rosalind Franklin rover will set its wheels on Martian soil in 2030,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, the ESA’s director of human and robotic exploration.
The Rosalind Franklin rover will drill deeper below the Martian surface than NASA rovers, acquiring samples from as deep as two meters, protected from harsh radiation and temperatures.
Japan’s Mission to Phobos
In 2026, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Martian Moons eXploration Mission will launch toward Mars’ moon Phobos. Upon arrival, it will deploy a rover, collect samples and then return to Earth. The mission aims to uncover the origins of Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos. About a year after Earth departure, the spacecraft will enter Mars’ orbit before transitioning to a quasi-orbit around Phobos to gather scientific data and samples with a lander. Following these tasks, it will journey back to Earth, bringing the collected material with it. The timeline includes a 2026 launch, orbit insertion around Mars in 2027 and a return to Earth in 2031.
The progress of space exploration is increasing exponentially. Astrogeology enabled by robotic exploration of the solar system proceeds at an unprecedented pace. This will certainly inspire young students to pursue STEM careers to enable them to join future crewed exploration missions to the Moon and Mars and beyond.