NASA Picks Landing Site for 2020 Mars Rover

[AlphaAtlas]

In a press release, NASA announced the landing site for the upcoming Mars 2020 Rover mission. The ancient, dry river basin outside the Jezero Crater is a science treasure trove, but NASA says that landing in the area was cost prohibitive until now. Scientists claim that signs of organic molecules, and possibly microbial life, could be preserved in the delta. This announcement comes just a week before the NASA's Insight probe is scheduled to land on Mars. The spacecraft is less than a million kilometers from the red planet now, and NASA will live-stream the whole landing phase 6 days from now.

"The landing site in Jezero Crater offers geologically rich terrain, with landforms reaching as far back as 3.6 billion years old, that could potentially answer important questions in planetary evolution and astrobiology," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. "Getting samples from this unique area will revolutionize how we think about Mars and its ability to harbor life."

 

[sfsuphysics]

Yay... another rover who will drive around collect samples, and send the data back to Earth. When are we going to get "Rover that tests feasibility of building habitation structures... by building habitation structures"

 

[funkydmunky]

Good for them. We pay them enough!
Who on this [H] site keeps insisting you keep shoveling this "news" ?

 

[katanaD]

nice pic !