NASA has chosen the landing site for its life-hunting 2020 Mars rover

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NASA’s next Mars rover is targeting Jezero crater

NASA/JPL-Caltech

After four years of deliberation, NASA has picked its next Mars landing spot: Jezero crater. The hope is that it has the right environment to preserve signs of ancient life.

 

Satellite images suggest the 50-kilometre-wide crater once had a river flowing along its rim and into a big lake. It is thought to hold rocks that can preserve organic molecules, such as clays and carbonates. It is located 18 degrees north of Mars’s equator.

 

“Getting samples from this unique area will revolutionise how we think about Mars and its ability to harbour life,” said NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen in a statement.

 

If all goes to plan, NASA will launch its six-wheeled rover in July 2020 and it will land on Mars in February 2021. The lander will include a solar-powered drone to help pick out interesting sites to visit.

 

The European Space Agency also plans to send a rover to Mars in 2020, and recently chose Oxia Planum – a large plain packed with clay rocks – as its preferred destination.

 

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