Perseverance Rover - Finding Ancient Life on Mars

originally posted by: Blue Shift
I looked at the Curiosity images for years. Still do, occasionally. Only very rarely saw anything that looked like life as we know it. And it was very unimpressive.

I mean, it's not this, but this is just odd looking rocks:

I got dozens of these. Maybe this new robot will find something for real. Who knows? Personally, I think it's a dead planet. I could be wrong.

I guess there were quite a few features from previous missions that looked as if they could have been fossilized organic material of some sort, without any way for us to prove it either way. I honestly hope this mission will change that...

originally posted by: Forensick

Great post, one of the best I have seen, thank you!

Thanks a lot, Forensick. I think this mission will be so exciting, it just needed to have a dedicated thread.

originally posted by: Rob808
I wonder what they’ve already found that they need this to confirm or deny before announcing. It sounds like they already have something to look at. Maybe something interesting pans out from this.

a reply to: jeep3r

I think the bets are pretty much on finding some sort of fossilized "microbial life" somewhere along that ancient lakebed at Jezero Crater, as described in this article. Perhaps there were even some indications for that in previous missions.

And while most scientists currently don't assume that water was around long enough for macroscopic life to evolve (if anything evolved there at all), there are some people who still believe that the odd Martian spherules (nicknamed "blueberries") discovered by Opportunity Rover at Eagle Crater and Kirkwood Outcrop could have been more than just "concretions".

Related ATS threads on this particular topic can be found here, here and here. It's speculative, of course, but hopefully this mission will bring forth some form of evidence for ancient life on Mars (microscopic or macroscopic).

Already some fantastic views from Mars.
Over the years pictures from Mars tended to have a red cast. These recent pictures appear more neutral.
Does anyone know if this is due to variable Martian geology, or were NASA applying a red colour to the pictures?

There are rocks that look like blueberries. Some say they are just rocks rounded by weather, others are saying they are blueberries.

They want to confirm if they are or are not blueberries, before they release the images IMO.

Great Post!
S&F

originally posted by: Jbird
twitter.com...

So what is that thing up in the top left corner of the picture? Four evenly spaced holes, seems to have some regular structure. Tubelike if anything although my son saw it and thought it looked like part of a rodents skull. Anyhow, some interesting things in that picture right off the bat.

a reply to: jeep3r

BUMP.
Please keep posting new photos here as they become available.

a reply to: IAMTAT

Some new images are now available in the mission's RAW Image Gallery. Below you'll find two debayered photos and a shot from Percy's left hazcam:

Click for larger versions:

Source: Perseverance RAW Image Gallery

And here goes a first stereoscopic 3D image of the landing site, intended for cross-eye viewing (click for larger version and see text below image for viewing instructions):

Source Left/Source Right

Quick tutorial for viewing cross-eye 3D images without 3D glasses:
- look at the center of the two images (the black line)
- slowly move your eyes inwards until you see a third image appearing in the middle
- focus either with eyes or by increasing/reducing distance from screen, until it's sharp

The video of Perseverance descending during the EDL maneuver is now available here.

It's quite breathtaking to see both the Skycrane above and Percy below, incredible footage:

Click for larger version...

originally posted by: LookingAtMars
There are rocks that look like blueberries. Some say they are just rocks rounded by weather, others are saying they are blueberries.

They want to confirm if they are or are not blueberries, before they release the images IMO.

Great Post!
S&F

Thanks a lot! I can't wait to see what Percy and the team at NASA/JPL are going to find. This time, they should have everything on board to properly investigate these kinds of features...

First 360° Color Panorama taken with Percy's Mastcam-Z:

Can be explored interactively within the YouTube player... enjoy!

Cool !! Bunch of stuff rollin' out, now.

new raw images uploaded.

Video of the descent and landing .

a reply to: Jbird

Thanks!

Catcher's mask and home plate?




Cheers.

- Pareidoliawoop

a reply to: gortex

Wow
they make it look easy.

just too cool.

Imagine, sending something 100+ Million miles, and nailing the landing. I mean seriously.

I was happy to get my printer working this morning.



Fred..

First audio recordings

guess you need headphones.

apparently, there's a Martian breeze.

I don't hear much even with it turned up to 11.

a reply to: Jbird

A Martian breeze ?

I'll take that for starters.

a reply to: Jbird

I don't hear much even with it turned up to 11.

Yeah, they might want to pump up the volume a bit. I couldn't hear anything.