It can reach the delta in late May or early June. Creativity will try to stay ahead of persistence.
The helicopter flies faster than the rover can drive, but after each flight, its solar panels must soak up several days of sunlight to recharge the batteries. Perseverance, supported by the heat from the massive mass of plutonium, can push day after day.
However, helicopters may be able to take shortcuts through the dunes.
“We plan to reach that delta,” Tzanitos said. “And we’re discussing what’s going on outside the river delta.”
But he added that every day could be the last day for the brilliance, which was designed to last only one month. “You hope you are lucky enough to keep flying, and we will continue that record for as long as possible,” he said.
After Perseverance reached the delta, the most exciting discovery was the description of what appeared to be microfossils. In this case, “we have to start wondering if some of the balls of organic matter are arranged in a shape that describes a cell,” says MIT geobiologist Tanya Bosak.
There was no way a persistent person would see anything clear from the remains of a living being. This is why it is so important to bring the stones back to Earth for closer inspection.
Dr. Bossack does not have a strong opinion about whether there is life on Mars.
“We really tried to get in when we had very little knowledge,” he said. “We don’t know when the chemical processes came together to form the first cells. So maybe we’re looking at something that’s just learning what life is like.”
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