Dispatches from Mars: Perseverance rover sends images

This enhanced-color image from the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance shows a sample tube inside the coring bit after completing the coring activity on August 6. The bronze-colored outer ring is the coring bit. The lighter-colored inner ring is the open end of the sample tube. A portion of the tube's serial number – 233 – can be seen on the left side of the tube's wall. Photo courtesy of NASA

This image, taken by the Mars helicopter Ingenuity during its ninth flight, shows a rocky terrain in the Jezero Crater area on the Martian surface on July 5, 2021. Photo courtesy of NASA

This image looking west toward the Seitah geologic unit on Mars was taken from the height of 33 feet (10 meters) by NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its sixth flight on May 22, 2021. Photo courtesy of NASA

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its dual-camera Mastcam-Z imager to capture this image of "Santa Cruz," a hill about 1.5 miles away from the rover, on April 29. The entire scene is inside of Mars' Jezero Crater. The crater's rim can be seen on the horizon line beyond the hill. Photo courtesy of NASA

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter captured this photo as it hovered over the Martian surface on April 19 during the first instance of powered, controlled flight on another planet. It used its navigation camera, which autonomously tracks the ground during flight. Photo courtesy of NASA

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter on April 6, using the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera located at the end of the rover's long robotic arm. The image was constructed of 62 individual images, taken in sequence while the rover was looking at the helicopter, then again while looking at the WATSON camera, stitched together once they are sent back to Earth. The Curiosity rover takes similar selfies using a camera on its robotic arm. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter using its onboard Rear Left Hazard Avoidance Camera on April 4. The helicopter will soon make its first attempt at a powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on March 29 using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm. Photo courtesy of NASA

The debris shield, a protective covering on the bottom of Perseverance, was released to allow the Ingenuity helicopter to fold out of the rover on March 21. The debris shield protects the helicopter during landing; releasing it allows the helicopter to rotate down out of the rover's belly. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image of its "ejectable belly pan" laying on the surface of Mars on March 14 using its onboard Left Navigation Camera. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image of its "ejectable belly pan" laying on the surface of Mars using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm. Photo courtesy of NASA

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. In cooperation with the European Space Agency, subsequent NASA missions would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image on March 6, of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance took this photo on March 4 of a rocky mound in Jezero Crater, which NASA scientists said is likely a remnant of an ancient river delta. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image of the area in back of it using its onboard Rear Left Hazard Avoidance Camera. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance acquired this image using its onboard Left Navigation Camera on March 3. The camera is located high on the rover's mast and aids in driving. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance shows a plate fastened to the rover aft crossbeam (lower right) with three fingernail-sized chips stenciled with nearly 11 million names of Earthlings. The full-resolution image was taken by the Perseverance rover's left Navigation Camera (Navcam) on February 28. The names were submitted as part of the Send Your Name to Mars campaign. Photo courtesy of NASA

The rover can be seen in this enhanced HiRISE color image at its landing site six days after touchdown on February 24. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance rover acquired this image using its left Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance documents the Martian surface. Photo courtesy of NASA

The Martian surface is documented is detail from Perseverance. Photo courtesy of NASA

The navigation cameras aboard the Mars rover captured this view of the rover’s deck on Monday. This view provides a look at PIXL (the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry), one of the instruments on the rover’s stowed arm. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

This panorama, made by the navigation cameras aboard Perseverance, was stitched together from six individual images after they were sent back to Earth. Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with the European Space Agency, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these cached samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

This is the first high-resolution, color image to be sent back by the Hazard Cameras (Hazcams) on the underside of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on February 18. Photo courtesy of NASA

This high-resolution still image, from the camera aboard the descent stage, is part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars. Photo courtesy of NASA

Perseverance can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere in the descent stage, its parachute trailing behind, in this image taken on Thursday by the High-Resolution Imaging Experiment camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The ancient river delta, which is the Perseverance mission's target, can be seen entering Jezero Crater from the left. Photo courtesy of NASA

An illustration depicts the rover driving in the foreground across the plain of Jezero Crater, where the robotic explorer landed safely. Image courtesy of NASA

An image showing where Perseverance Mars rover landed is shown during a NASA Perseverance rover mission post-landing update, on February 18, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA

Members of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars. Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA

The first photos taken by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover after landing on the Martian surface. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. Photo courtesy of NASA

These computer simulations show Perseverance landing on the Martian surface. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. Image courtesy of NASA

In this illustration of its descent to Mars, the spacecraft carrying NASA's Perseverance rover slows down using the drag generated by its motion in the Martian atmosphere. Hundreds of critical events must execute precisely on time for the rover to land on Mars safely. Entry, descent, and landing, or "EDL," begins when the spacecraft reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere, traveling nearly 12,500 mph. The cruise stage separates about 10 minutes before entering into the atmosphere, leaving the aeroshell, which encloses the rover and descent stage, to make the trip to the surface. Image courtesy of NASA

An illustration of Perseverance on Mars, launched from Earth in July. It is the fifth rover to successfully reach Mars, and is the first of three that may return rocks samples to Earth. Image courtesy of NASA