NASA has reached a major milestone in finding out whether life exists beyond Earth once and for all.
The space agency’s Perseverance rover has arrived at the doorstep of a key spot, described as a “geologic feast” for it to dig.
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After more than a year on the Red Planet, the dinky bot has reached a mysterious ancient river delta.
It’s here that experts think we may finally uncover signs of past microscopic life.
“The answers are out there,” Nasa associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said.
The delta is a goldmine for researchers, with a massive fan-shaped collection of rocks and sediment.
It’s located at the western edge of a crater called Jezero, which is home to a lake and a river delta from billions of years ago.
A special drill on the end of a robotic arm will soon get to work.
The best rocks will eventually be brought back to Earth, but that won’t launch until the end of the decade.
Experts say it’s their “best bet” for discovering the preserved remnants of ancient fossils.
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The next big hurdle is safely getting up the crater, with about 40 meters to go.
“We’ve been eyeing the delta from a distance for more than a year while we explored the crater floor,” Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley said.
“At the end of our fast traverse, we are finally able to get close to it, obtaining images of ever-greater detail revealing where we can best explore these important rocks.”
Mission will take a while
Perseverance is expected to scoop up around eight samples.
And it won’t be a quick feat – scientists expect it to take half an Earth year to complete.
“The delta is why Perseverance was sent to Jezero Crater: It has so many interesting features,” Farley said.
“We will look for signs of ancient life in the rocks at the base of the delta, rocks that we think were once mud on the bottom of ‘Lake Jezero.’
“Higher up the delta, we can look at sand and rock fragments that came from upstream, perhaps from miles away.
“These are locations the rover will never visit.
“We can take advantage of an ancient Martian river that brought the planet’s geological secrets to us.”
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