Perseverance Scouts First Sampling Location

A CLOSER LOOK

This image shows the area on Mars from which NASA's Perseverance rover will collect its first rock sample. Scientists are particularly interested in the flat stones that appear light-colored (informally called "paver rocks"). The Perseverance team has nicknamed this area in Mars' Jezero Crater the "Crater Floor Fractured Rough" area. The 28 individual images that were combined to make the larger main image were taken by the rover's Mastcam-Z right-eye camera on July 8, 2021 (the 136th sol, or Martian day, of the mission). The images have been calibrated and are presented in natural color, simulating the approximate view that we would see with our own eyes if we were there. The Mastcam-Z investigation is led and operated by Arizona State University in Tempe, working in collaboration with Ma

Explore NASA's original image record for credits and available downloads.