
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is on its ascent to the rim of Jezero Crater, and it captured a portion of the journey with one of its navigation cameras. Forty-five frames were stitched together to create this video showing the rover's progress on Aug. 22, 25, and 26, 2024, the 1,247th, 1,250th, and 1251st Martian days, or sols, of the mission. During the time period captured, Perseverance covered a distance of about 530 feet (160 meters) and gained about 115 feet (35 meters) in elevation. 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. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26376
Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to use. Credit NASA as the source. Check NASA's media usage guidelines for details. Images featuring identifiable individuals may require additional permissions.
NASA ID
PIA26376
Date Created
September 13, 2024
Center
JPL
Media Type
image
Download this image in multiple resolutions. All NASA media are free for public use.
Medium
960px