Perseverance Finds a Hollowed-Out Rock

A CLOSER LOOK

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover spotted this hollowed-out rock in Jezero Crater using its Mastcam-Z instrument on June 26, 2023, the 836th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Wind can erode all sorts of strange shapes by sandblasting rock surfaces over the course of eons. Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the plan

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