NASA Perseverance @nasa_perseverance@mastodon.muage.org

Rock closeup: I’m still at the base of the delta scouring the area for good rocks to sample. Might “brush the dust off” a spot around here and do some proximity science to help me hone in on my next target for #SamplingMars.

I’m headed westward, skirting the lower part of the river delta on the lookout for good rock targets for #SamplingMars. Soon, I may get my first real taste of the delta.

More on my sampling strategy in this week’s blog: http://go.nasa.gov/3sO31I6

A fun opening weekend as the #MarsRoverTour continues in #DesMoines. There’s still time to catch my twin: @SCIowa is hosting this special exhibit through August 21.

Other upcoming stops: http://go.nasa.gov/marsrovertour

The #MarsRoverTour rolls on! One of my lookalikes has just landed at @SCIowa in #DesMoines. Meet some of my team this weekend, and see full-scale exhibits of me and the #MarsHelicopter.

5/13: Mission team talks; Q&A + evening event
5/14-15: Mission team talks; Q&A

If ancient life was ever here, this river delta may be the best place to look. But I have to be picky: with limited tubes for #SamplingMars, I need to choose each spot wisely.

How to decide? One of my scientists explains: ​​http://go.nasa.gov/3813AHo

Making some accidental zen art as I drive. Mars may be desolate, but it has a certain charm.

More of your favorite images: http://go.nasa.gov/3s4mRg7

While I’m checking out an ancient river delta, my lookalike is finishing up by the Bay…

Full-scale exhibits and mission team members will be on hand for a final weekend at #SanFrancisco’s @exploratorium@twitter.com.

More #MarsRoverTour stops: http://go.nasa.gov/marsrovertour

Ripples and ridges at the delta’s edge. Excited to start science activities at this destination we’ve had in our sights for so long. The finely layered rocks just ahead may be my next target for #SamplingMars.

Read the latest team blog: http://go.nasa.gov/3vlgcSk

A skydiver is only as good as their equipment – and this gear worked beautifully! Thanks to the #MarsHelicopter Ingenuity for capturing these new aerial views of my parachute and backshell: https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1519401118152888321

Truly fascinating. I zoomed in with my Mastcam-Z camera on a Phobos solar eclipse. This detailed video can help scientists on my team better understand the Martian moon’s orbit and how its gravity affects the interior of Mars, including its crust & mantle. http://go.nasa.gov/3OqRl73

Last call for this school year! Your persevering student could get a message from Mars and chat with my mission team. Educators: nominate middle schoolers by April 24 for “You’ve #GotPerseverance.”

More info: http://go.nasa.gov/gotperseverance

Behold the “bacon strip.” Now that I’ve made it to the delta, I’m getting a closer look at this section of light-colored rock my team’s been eyeing. Could it be mudstone from the ancient lake? One of many things to check out in my new science campaign: http://go.nasa.gov/3L2uUDd

A year ago, I watched this little adventurer take its first short hop into the history books. We planned for maybe a few weeks of basic flight tests. Who knew the #MarsHelicopter would still be zipping along, helping inform where I go next? Keep soaring, Ingenuity! https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1384209173924089863

My long haul to the ancient river delta is almost done. Up ahead: layered rocks, laid down in water, sure to hold secrets of what their environment was once like. Could they even give hints about past life? Time will tell…

More in the latest team blog: http://go.nasa.gov/3KUwmaU

You can spot them both in the middle distance. On the left is a thin line of orange and white: the parachute fabric at rest on the ground. The brighter object to the right is a section of my backshell, the top half of the capsule that protected me during descent.

I’ve been “pedal to the metal” lately, focused on my drive to the upcoming delta. But I’ve also spotted a few interesting things along the way: look closely and you’ll see part of the parachute and capsule I rode in on. Definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them!

Still winding my way across the plain to the delta up ahead using my self-driving mode. I’m making good progress, and even hit a new record: 520 meters (0.32 miles) over three consecutive days.

More on self-driving mode:

Listen to the muffled hums as I work on Mars. Scientists used my recordings to study how fast sound travels through the thin, mostly CO2 Martian atmosphere, and confirmed that the speed of sound is slower on the Red Planet than on Earth. https://go.nasa.gov/3iUVYYz

Taking time out to send some special messages direct from Mars to some deserving middle-schoolers. These persevering students will get their messages and talk to my team on April 5.

Know a kid who’s #gotperseverance? Nominate by April 24: http://go.nasa.gov/gotperseverance

It’s time to put in some work for my AutoNav system as I head to my next science campaign in the ancient river delta. I’ll take pictures of the terrain, and AutoNav will use those images to help me avoid any challenges during the 3-mile (5-km) trek. http://go.nasa.gov/3tmVG2K