{"id":135426,"date":"2021-02-14T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=135426"},"modified":"2022-09-15T13:13:43","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T23:13:43","slug":"signs-ancient-life-mars-rover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/02\/14\/signs-ancient-life-mars-rover\/","title":{"rendered":"Search for signs of ancient life on Mars begins with rover landing"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_74048\"  width=\"676\" height=\"676\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JXxmNCklIUE?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Search for signs of ancient life on Mars begins with rover landing\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>After a six-month journey, <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/\">Perseverance<\/a>, the most sophisticated rover <abbr title=\"National Aeronautics and Space Administration\">NASA<\/abbr> has ever sent to Mars, will land on the red planet. Along with people around the world, scientists and students at the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> at M&#257;noa<\/a> eagerly await this milestone, scheduled for February 18, 2021 around 10:30 a.m. <abbr title=\"Hawaii Standard Time\">HST<\/abbr>. <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/timeline\/landing\/watch-online\/\">People can join the watch party for the landing online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Since being <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2014\/08\/22\/uh-scientists-selected-for-mars-2020-rover-teams\/\">selected for the <abbr>NASA<\/abbr> instrument teams in 2014<\/a>, researchers in the <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M&#257;noa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.soest.hawaii.edu\/soestwp\/\">School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (<abbr>SOEST<\/abbr>) worked to develop, test and refine scientific instruments to search for clues about past life on Mars. The rover\u2019s landing site, Jezero Crater, once contained a lake that scientists think is one of the most ideal places to find evidence of ancient life.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5qqsMjy8Rx0&#038;feature=emb_title\">Watch <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s highlight video of the mission overview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_123792\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123792\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/manoa-higp-mars-rover-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"rover on mars\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-123792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/manoa-higp-mars-rover-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/manoa-higp-mars-rover-1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/manoa-higp-mars-rover-1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-123792\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration depicts <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>&#8216;s Perseverance rover operating on Mars. Photo credit: <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\/<abbr>JPL<\/abbr>-Caltech.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Built at <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Perseverance is loaded with scientific instruments the teams will use to search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet\u2019s geology and climate, and collect carefully selected rock and sediment samples for possible return to Earth by a future mission.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There was a huge sense of relief when the launch went flawlessly in late July. Then, it was a case of waiting patiently for the spacecraft to get there,&rdquo; said <strong>Sarah Fagents<\/strong>, a researcher at <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M&#257;noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.higp.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> Institute of Geophysics and Planetology<\/a> (<abbr>HIGP<\/abbr>) in <abbr>SOEST<\/abbr> and volcanologist with the <a href=\"https:\/\/mastcamz.asu.edu\/\">Mastcam-Z<\/a> camera team.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was very exciting to see the remote Raman instrument that was developed within HIGP since 1998 in the Raman spectroscopy laboratory launched successfully as a part of the Supercam instrument,&rdquo; said <strong>Shiv Sharma<\/strong>, <abbr>HIGP<\/abbr> researcher and co-investigator on the <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/spacecraft\/instruments\/supercam\/\">SuperCam instrument<\/a> team.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In October, Mars was closer to Earth than it will be for another 15 years, so it loomed large, bright and red in the night sky,&rdquo; said Fagents. &ldquo;I would go outside in the evenings and imagine the little spacecraft hurtling towards its destination. The past weeks have been increasingly nerve-racking as landing approaches. It&#8217;s incredibly hard to land on the surface of another planet, and a lot of people&#8217;s hopes and dreams ride on this going well! Both myself and Shiv have been working on this mission since 2014, so we are hugely invested in its success.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Searching for signs of ancient Martian life<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_135446\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-135446\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing4-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Mars rover\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-135446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing4-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing4.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-135446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo credit: <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\/<abbr>JPL<\/abbr>-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mastcam-Z is the mast-mounted multispectral stereo camera system that is equipped with a powerful zoom function. At a maximum zoom setting, the cameras could resolve a feature as small as a housefly across the length of a football field&#8212;enabling the team to identify rocks, soils and other targets that deserve a closer look by other instruments as they search for signs of ancient Martian life.<\/p>\n<p>Sharma, as a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/spacecraft\/instruments\/supercam\/for-scientists\/\">SuperCam instrument<\/a> team, will assist with detection of biosignatures\u2014indicators that life existed in the distant past. The SuperCam is a suite of instruments that uses remote optical measurements and laser spectroscopy to determine fine-scale mineralogy, chemistry, and atomic and molecular composition of samples encountered on Mars. This allows the team to detect organic compounds and biosignatures from a distance on and in rocks, soils and sediment layers on Mars.<\/p>\n<h2>Final training and planning<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_135445\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-135445\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing5-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Jezero Crater\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-135445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing5-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing5.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-135445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jezero Crater as it may have looked billions of years ago on Mars (Photo credit: <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\/<abbr>JPL<\/abbr>-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During the past six months, the scientists and their graduate students have been extensively training in science operations, procedures and tools.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Mars 2020 team is thousands of people strong, and all of the different facets of operating on the surface of another planet have to work together flawlessly,&rdquo; said Fagents. &ldquo;As well as learning the technical nuts and bolts of how to do surface operations, we have been engaged in the strategic planning of the rover route to maximize the scientific gains of the mission.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>An unprecedented view of Mars<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_135444\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-135444\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"rover on mars\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-135444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/manoa-soest-mars-rover-landing1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-135444\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo credit: <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\/<abbr>JPL<\/abbr>-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After landing and once instrument checks are completed, Perseverance will drop off the helicopter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/jpl\/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter\/\">Ingenuity<\/a> and observe as it makes its flights. This will be the first powered flight on another planet.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;After the past seven years of imagining this moment, I am super excited to see the first ever images taken on the ground at Jezero Crater,&rdquo; said Fagents.<\/p>\n<p>This effort is an example of <abbr>糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M&#257;noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Strategic Plan<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8211;By Marcie Grabowski<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The most sophisticated rover <abbr>NASA<\/abbr> has ever sent to Mars, is scheduled to land on February 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[170,1467,1363,1558,92,174,9],"class_list":["post-135426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-hawaii-institute-of-geophysics-and-planetology","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-mars-rover","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-space","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135426"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135458,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135426\/revisions\/135458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}