Abstract
Mars orbiters, landers, and rovers have made extraordinary discoveries about the evolution of Mars and its potential for life. At this time, it is clear, that the potential of ancient life on Mars has increased based on several discoveries. There have been many observed signs of ancient liquid water: surface and underground. There are past geological environments on Mars that had reasonable potential to have preserved the evidence of life, had it existed. The detection of complex organics by Curiosity has increased the potential for preserving “fingerprints of life” that may be locked away in the rock record. These and other factors have led NASA, with the support of other space agencies, to mount a Mars sample return (MSR) campaign. The first mission of MSR is the Perseverance rover. Designed to core and store rock, soils, and atmospheric samples in sealed tubes for later return, Perseverance landed in Jezero crater in February 2021 near an extensive ancient river delta. Other missions will follow to bring these samples back to Earth for further analysis. In addition, Perseverance carried the Ingenuity helicopter as a technology demonstration which has been tremendously successful and may lead to other future ariel missions on the red planet.
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