Betting on Jezero
Betting on Jezero
The place preferred by the technicians and scientists of the future rover Mars 2020.
Where to run a particularly expensive vehicle whose central goal is the search for ancient Martian life forms? It is a decision we will know about in the coming months, and it will be taken in a final meeting between the team of the future rover and Thomas Zurbuchen, the Associate Administrator of the Directorate of Scientific Missions of NASA, but we can get an idea of where they are inclined right now the options of these first, which surely will have a decisive weight.
At the end of October almost 200 people, including scientists and members of the mission Mars 2020, met in Glendale, California, to meet criteria and discuss what would be the best choice. There were three days of intense discussions that finally ended with a vote, in which the 3 essential conditions (Scientific potential, potential as a place for future extraction of samples for shipment to the Earth, and general confidence) of each one of them had to be assessed. the 4 finalist objectives. And the winner was clear: The crater Jezero.
A vision of the place makes this preference to be understood perfectly. Not only is it known that there was a large lake of water in its interior during the childhood of the planet and for a considerable time, but it stands out for having inside it what looks like an ancient great delta, created by the waters of a river that emptied into it, and whose channel, in the form of a deep channel, is also clearly visible. Taking into account that the objective of Mars 2020 is to look for signs of ancient Martian life that may have been preserved, the numerous layers of sediment that seem to accumulate in the area can not be more promising.
There is another extra reason, and perhaps as important or more important, and that is that if the mission is extended, which is a sure thing if there are no technical failures, there is another region as promising and baptized as Midway to the relatively close and within reach of the rover in a reasonable time. That is to say, Jezero It could become the first part of a broader mission that includes this second zone, a tempting possibility that the other objectives do not offer:"Interestingly, the crater sites of Midway and Jezero were evaluated
as the tallest (and they received the most votes for their high
potential) with respect to the extended mission criteria, which perhaps reflects the interest in possible extended mission opportunities between the two sites", As stated in the final letter summarizing the conclusions of the meeting.
It is not a decision, but only a sample of the preferences of the human team of the rover as well as of many scientists, but it is difficult to imagine that it does not have a clear effect in the final discussions with the POT to select the final place. And considering that the launch is planned for Summer 2020, it is clear that time is short. Soon we will know the answer, and right now the bets give by winner to Jezero.
This extraordinary delta seems the ideal place for many of the participants of this future Martian mission. It is not difficult to understand the reason.
Perhaps the key element that decided the vote, the proximity of Midway, within reach of the rover if the mission is extended.
The Jezero crater, favorite destination for NASA's Mars 2020 rover
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