Perseverance's Mastcam-Z Views Castell Henllys

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover captured this mosaic of a location nicknamed "Castell Henllys" using its Mastcam-Z camera on April 13, 2023, the 763rd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rounded boulders seen here are believed to have been washed into Jezero Crater, which Perseverance is exploring, by strong flood waters billions of years ago. This occurred during one of three major periods that scientists have identified in the development of the lake and river system that occupied Jezero in the ancient past. This view looks toward the southwest, with the Castell Henllys area approximately 328 feet (100 meters) away. The mosaic is made up of three images that were stitched together after being sent back to Mars. The image has been processed to improve contrast on the terrain. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26208