In late April, Perseverance and Ingenuity arrived at the edge of Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta — an area of the crater that was likely once formed by flowing water, and a major focus of the Mars 2020 mission. Perseverance‘s arrival at the delta marked the beginning of the rover’s second science campaign in the crater, officially kicking off on sol 407 of the mission.
“The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
What’s more, as Perseverance and Ingenuity were studying Mars on the surface, Mars Odyssey and a team of researchers were solving a mystery involving invisible Martian frost and dust avalanches.