Why NASA thinks this crater is the best spot to search for life on Mars
After more than four years of debate, an ancient crater lake emerged as the top landing spot for the Mars2020 rover.
When NASA sends its next rover to Mars in 2020, it’ll be aimed at a small patch of alien landscape near Jezero Crater. The landing site, announced today and selected by NASA associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Thomas Zurbuchen, hosts a fossilized river delta that formed as water trickled into an ancient crater lake.
The site “offers geologically rich terrain with landforms reaching as far back as 3.6 billion years, and could potentially answer important questions in planetary evolution and astrobiology,” Zurbuchen said during a press conference.
“Getting samples from this unique area will revolutionize how we think about Mars and its ability to harbor life.” (Read more about whether water on Mars might
