17 months since the vehicle arrived in an area called Jezero Crater, slung below a rocket crane. The Nasa robot has collected a diverse set of rock samples that it will soon deposit on the surface, awaiting carriage to Earth by later missions. The goal is to have the samples back on Earth in 2033. The rover is not looking for any organisms that are alive today; the harsh environment on Mars makes their presence highly improbable. The robot is searching for the traces of a biology that could have existed billions of years ago when Jezero was filled with a lake.Read Long Article
