Mars Region Provides NASA Rover an Environment to Hunt for Clues of Ancient Microbial Life

Purdue University scientist Briony Horgan is leading NASA’s Mars rover into unfamiliar territory as the mission turns toward its next opportunity to find ancient signs of life on the red planet.

The rover Perseverance is searching for evidence of ancient microbial life in Mars’ rock record in deposits along the margin areas around Jezero Crater, where the rover initially landed. Any life that once existed on the red planet may have left behind chemical clues that Horgan hopes can still be found in the deposits as part of the rover’s “margin campaign.”