Trove of Martian Rocks
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Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with NASA’s Universe of Learning partners: Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Video imagery:
- Perseverance rover map, western rim of Jezero Crater. PIA26374: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
- Tracks from Perseverance climb up Jezero Crater rim, Oct. 11, 2024. PIA26379: NASA/JPL-Caltech
- Perseverance coring drill collecting the “Main River” rock sample on “Witch Hazel Hill” on March 10, 2025. PIA26571: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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A collage of space photos with planets, stars, and galaxies. Text, News From the Universe. April 21, 2025. Trove of Martian Rocks. A map of a Martian terrain featuring Witch Hazel Hill, Pico Turquino, and Aurora Park with a line drawn through the area. On Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring a 445 foot tall (135 meter tall) slope called Witch Hazel Hill. The slope is located on the rim of Jezero Crater and is turning out to be a treasure trove of intriguing rocks. Zooming in to Witch Hazel Hill.
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A rover looks out over a hazy red landscape from a high ridge. The crater rim is rich in fragmented, once-molten rocks that were thrown up from underground by meteor impacts billions of years ago. The rover’s shadow over a drill positioned above dried rocky ground. Since January 2025, Perseverance has drilled into five rocks on the crater rim and saved three samples in sealed tubes. Microscopic views of various samples with their names, dates acquired, and rock types. Perseverance’s exploration and samples are helping scientists to understand Mars’ history, evolution, and potential for past or present habitability. This news was brought to you in part by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
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