NASA's Perseverance Rover: Its Path to Finding Organics on Mars | Page 2 of 16

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Water on ancient Mars (lots of it)

Ancient water ripples on Mars, seen in December 2022. — Ancient water ripples on Mars, seen in December 2022. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity and Perseverance are both exploring sites where water flowed in the ancient past. In December 2022, Curiosity snapped shots of apparent water ripples, frozen in time in the Martian rock—yet another indicator that the rover is roaming around an ancient lakebed.

Alluvial fans in Martian craters and geological formations in the planet’s largest canyons are also indicators that the world was once awash in water.

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