As NASA's Perseverance rover, a car-sized robotic explorer, looks for signs of possible ancient life on Mars, it has stumbled across some interesting things. Recently, on Aug. 31 (the 1,610th sol, or Martian day, of its mission), Perseverance captured an image of this rock, which looks like the head of a turtle coming out of its shell.
What is it?
Perseverance launched in 2020 and landed successfully on the surface of Mars in February 2021, on the floor of Jezero Crater. So far, it has traversed over 23 miles (37 kilometers) across the surface of Mars.
To capture this image, Perseverance used its SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument, which is mounted on the rover's robotic-arm turret. SHERLOC is used for fine-scale, close up investigations of surface materials and textures. SHERLOC pairs with WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering), a high-resolution camera, to photograph targets after SHERLOC has illuminated them with ultraviolet light.
Where is it?
This image was taken in Jezero Crater on Mars.
Why is it amazing?
Taking photos of the Martian landscape, including its rocks and gravel, is key for understanding Mars' planetary history. Surface patterns can help trace the planet's geological history — for example, its wind-driven layers, the creation of sand dunes and mineral deposition. The SHERLOC-WATSON camera system helps researchers read these patterns with more clarity, allowing us to learn more about how the surface of Mars came to be.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about Mars's formation and Perseverance's mission on the Red Planet.
