The most propitious examples will be packaged for return to Earth by later missions.
"But before we can get that surface mission going, we have to land on Mars and that is always a challenging feat," said Matt Wallace, Nasa's deputy project manager for Perseverance.Telemetry from the rover during its descent will be relayed by an overflying satellite - the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.Perseverance will try to land next to this feature.
It's here that Perseverance could find what on Earth are called stromatolites.
While the scientists will be engrossed in what Jezero's rock types and their chemistry can tell us about past life on Mars, the public can simply lose themselves in the sensation of experiencing another planet in unprecedented detail.The rover will land with more than 20 cameras (four are on the Sky crane which will be sent away to crash after touchdown).Perseverance has initial funding from Nasa to operate for one Mars year (687 Earth days).It will be a complex endeavour involving a second rover, a Mars rocket and a huge satellite to ship the Jezero materials home."We want to send these follow-up missions in 2026 so that we can get the samples back on Earth in 2031," said Dr David Parker, the director for robotics and human spaceflight at Esa.Even if Perseverance discovers something that looks like a bio-signature, the evidence is almost certain to be contested - as claims for ancient life's traces here on Earth usually are.Click here to see how Nasa and Esa will bring rocks from Mars to Earth?How this Mars landing will be different to beforeVideoHow this Mars landing will be different to before
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