The Journey of NASA’s Perseverance Rover to the Triple-Intersection at Jurabi Point

Future Objective for Perseverance: An aerial perspective of the rover’s current position relative to “Jurabi Point,” its subsequent objective in the ongoing Margin Campaign. Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Perseverance rover is ceaselessly advancing. Having obtained our inaugural core sample from the margin unit, planning is already underway for our next destination within the Margin Campaign. One such forthcoming location is “Jurabi Point,” a site that has been on the scientific team’s radar for investigation even prior to the rover’s landing on Mars.

Before proceeding, however, the team is concluding research at its current operational area. As we further analyze data acquired from our proximate scientific instruments during the initial margin unit abrasion study, a brief maneuver, known as a ‘bump,’ has been executed to move the rover to an adjacent area of interest. Photographs captured by the Mastcam-Z camera reveal unique curvilinear features in the rock at this location. It is anticipated that a cursory examination using remote scientific tools such as the SuperCam will offer insights into the sedimentary composition and erosional history of the margin unit. Subsequently, a journey of approximately one kilometer northwards to “Jurabi Point” will commence.

What renders “Jurabi Point” a locus of scientific fascination? It is a geological formation known as a ‘triple-junction,’ where three distinct geological units converge. Specifically, the site is characterized by the intersection of a boulder-abundant unit, upper fan sedimentary rock, and the margin unit. Investigating the interplay between these units will assist in determining their chronological relationships and offer another opportunity to study and perhaps obtain samples from a boulder, especially after a prior attempt proved to be unsuccessful.

After completing our research at the triple-junction of “Jurabi Point,” the plan is to head westward. As we ascend, changes in the margin unit will be meticulously documented. The Margin Campaign is set to culminate with a descent into Neretva Vallis for the inaugural time—a river channel that supplies the western fan—to examine a mysterious light-colored rock formation visible within the channel’s walls.

Authored by Athanasios Klidaras, Doctoral Candidate at Purdue University

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