In a new blog post, NASA reveals that it has chosen a site known as the Jezero Crater to be the landing area for Mars 2020.
Once settled, the solar-powered craft will spend one Martian year - two Earth years - plumbing the depths of the planet's interior for clues to how Mars took form and, by extension, how the Earth and other rocky planets came into being.
But Jezero came out a victor as it offers promising sampling targets of at least five kinds of rock, including clays and carbonates that have high potential to preserve signatures of past life, as revealed by NASA in a press statement.
There are a number of factors that NASA had to consider while choosing a landing site.
As it once hosted an ancient lake-delta system, NASA hopes Jezero also contains a variety of minerals, which would hugely help discover more about the red planet.
The US space agency's mission to place a next-generation rover on the Martian surface is scheduled to launch in July 2020. Utilizing information from NASA's armada of Mars orbiters, they will outline landscape in more noteworthy detail and distinguish districts of intrigue - places with the most fascinating geographical highlights, for instance - where Mars 2020 could gather the best science tests. But landing safely isn't a slam dunk: Scientists want to make sure the rover doesn't land in a boulder field, a sand trap or on the edge of a cliff.
Named WALL-E and EVE after the main characters in the 2008 animated movie, the twin CubeSats will pass within a few thousand miles (kilometres) of Mars as the lander attempts its dicey touchdown. "But what was once out of reach is now conceivable, thanks to the 2020 engineering team and advances in Mars entry, descent and landing technologies", he said.
Overcoming 485 million km, InSight will land in the volcanic area of the world, the Elysium highlands, which is located near the equator of Mars.
InSight stands to "revolutionise the way we think about the inside of the planet", said Nasa's science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen.
This mission will study the internal structure, the tectonic and seismic activity on Mars. It is a revised version of the rover Curiosity, which arrived on the Red Planet in 2012. China is planning to get in on the action with its first-ever Mars mission, also due for launch during 2020's favorable launch opportunity.
Recommended:
-
Trump says no new Saudi punishment for Khashoggi murder
According to al-Shalan, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing of the operation. He said he would listen to their ideas, but only if they are focused on U.S. national security.Ruling expected in CNN White House credentials case
He told reporters that he had written answers to questions from the special counsel. He noted he had not determined that the First Amendment was violated.Democrat Kyrsten Sinema Wins Battle to Replace Sen. Jeff Flake
McSally's attacks on Sinema reached back more than 15 years to when Sinema was a Green Party spokeswoman and liberal activist. McSally lost her first race in Arizona's 2nd congressional district in 2012 when she was narrowly defeated by Democratic Rep. -
Kevin Durant was fined for cursing at a fan
There's seemingly no end to the drama coming out of the Warriors right now, but they're still the team to beat. I think everyone's been handling it the best way they could and we're just trying to move forward with it".Bitcoin - Bears Hit sub-$5,000 Levels in Crypto Meltdown
But while many of its rivals experienced sharp drops, Ethereum saw its price tumbling down in a much more gradual manner. When the fork happened on November 15 and the hash war started between BCHSV and BCHABC, Bitcoin took a heavy hit too.Alexander Zverev Sets Up Roger Federer Last-Four Clash — ATP Finals
The net game always looked risky for Zverev and so it proved as he double-faulted to concede the set. Zverev is emerging as one of the Tour's brightest young stars after climbing to fifth in the world. -
Rumor: Pelicans interested in trading for Wizards’ Otto Porter
At the same time, they are one of the league's worst defensive units, allowing 116.9 points per game, good for 29th in the league. Since the heated practice, the Wizards have lost two games to the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trailblazers.God of War plummets to £21 for Black Friday
The retailer has stacked an Xbox One X bundled with the latest November released Battlefield V at just United States dollars 430. While the Xbox One is a bit behind the PlayStation 4 in sales, it's still one of the best home-theater devices on the market.De Blasio: Amazon wanted even higher tax breaks, but we said no
Amazon has confirmed that it will split its much-anticipated second headquarters between New York City and Arlington, Virginia . Amazon hopes to invest $230 million Dollars (roughly $304 million CAD) to create approximately 5,000 jobs in the region. -
I answered Mueller questions 'very easily'
The person wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the meeting and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Though he spent hours with his lawyers, Mr Trump insisted: "My lawyers don't write answers, I write answers".Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh wedding: Bollywood’s power couple looks striking in Sabyasachi
Taking up to Twitter, where one of the condom brands wrote, "Congrats Deepika and Ranveer for officially putting a ring on it". Bollywood's most favourite couple has finally united and looks like they have never been this happier before.Here's Why Serena William's GQ Woman of the Year Cover is Controversial
However the word woman is written with quotes around it, and that hasn't sat well with fans. There was no immediate comment from Williams, GQ or Abloh.