Perseverance Rover Reaches Mars Crater Rim, Snaps Stunning Photos

The Perseverance rover, NASA's wheeled explorer on Mars, has finally reached the rim of the Jezero Crater after a tough climb. On December 10, it paused at "Lookout Hill" to snap some amazing photos. These pictures show a mix of hills, ridges, scattered rocks, and hazy skies. The rover also looked back at its own wheel tracks, marking the end of its adventures inside the crater and the start of a new science campaign. Perseverance has been exploring the Jezero Crater since early 2021. It found an ancient river delta, organic molecules, and collected rock samples that scientists hope to study back on Earth one day. The team controlling the rover did an incredible job navigating the tricky terrain. The journey to the rim was no easy task. Perseverance spent 3. 5 months climbing over 1, 640 vertical feet, dealing with 20% grades and slippery surfaces. The team tried different strategies, like driving backward and using switchbacks, to get the rover up the steep, slippery slope. Now, Perseverance is ready for its "Northern Rim" science campaign. Over the next year, it will drive 4 miles and visit four spots with interesting geology. Along the way, it will collect more samples. The first major target is "Witch Hazel Hill, " a layered outcrop that holds clues to Mars' past. The rocks the rover will study are some of the oldest in our solar system. They can tell us a lot about early Mars and how it compares to early Earth. One of the rover's goals is to find out if Mars ever had microbial life. So far, it has found some promising rocks, but more investigation is needed.