Perseverance Snaps 6th Mars Selfie at Jezero’s West Rim as NASA Eyes 3.9 Billion-Year-Old Rocks
Updated
Updated · Engadget · May 16
Perseverance Snaps 6th Mars Selfie at Jezero’s West Rim as NASA Eyes 3.9 Billion-Year-Old Rocks
6 articles · Updated · Engadget · May 16
NASA this week released Perseverance’s sixth selfie, assembled from 61 images taken March 11 after the rover reached its farthest-west point yet beyond Jezero Crater’s rim.
The rover is exploring the Lac de Charmes region because the west-rim terrain is considered among the mission’s most scientifically compelling ground in its search for signs of ancient microbial life.
At the Arbot site, a 46-image panorama captured April 5 shows rocky formations that NASA says may include the oldest rocks of the mission—likely debris from a meteorite impact about 3.9 billion years ago.
Perseverance is now studying Arbot outcrops, collecting and grinding rock samples for analysis, before heading south to another target area called Gardevarri.
With rovers finding life's key ingredients, what is the final piece of evidence needed to confirm life on Mars?
As we send missions to Mars, are we accidentally sending Earth's toughest microbes along with them?
Is the commercial space race creating an unregulated climate experiment in our upper atmosphere?
Perseverance at 25 Miles: Breakthroughs in Martian Geology, Biosignature Detection, and the Impact of Mars Sample Return Cancellation
Overview
NASA's Perseverance rover, as of May 2026, is carrying out its fifth science campaign—the Northern Rim Campaign—focusing on the scientifically rich Lac de Charmes region. After traveling 25 miles and passing key durability tests, Perseverance completed its study of the Arathusa area and moved northwest to the Arbot region for detailed rock analysis. These efforts are helping scientists better understand Mars' geology and prepare for future exploration. The campaign highlights the rover's endurance and the importance of exploring new, compelling terrains to uncover Mars' geological history and potential for past habitability.