Overview

• Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z instrument stitched together 96 images on sol 1,516 to create the highest-resolution 360° mosaic yet at the Falbreen site.
• The panorama reveals a float rock perched on a crescent-shaped sand ripple, a contact zone between olivine-rich and clay-bearing rocks, and hills visible up to 40 miles away.
• A bright white circle marks the rover’s 43rd abrasion patch, ground on May 22 to expose subsurface composition before sample collection.
• Scientists believe Falbreen may contain some of the oldest terrain Perseverance has explored, offering fresh clues to Mars’ geological past and potential habitability.
• Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said these clear vistas provide a glimpse of the landscapes astronauts will encounter during upcoming Artemis and Mars missions.