Free Astronomy Magazine January-February 2020

48 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 ASTRONAUTICS ios like this (carbonates, shallow water, sunlight) were the basis for the develop- ment of many life forms, whose fossil relics have been found precisely in de- posits comparable to those within the inner edge of Jezero Crater. Even if the Martian carbonates do not con- tain traces of fossil life, their close study will be useful for understanding how the planet passed from having expanses of sur- face water and a thick atmosphere to being the frozen desert it is today. If it were pos- sible to study carbonates at different ele- vations, we would be able to understand how the interaction between water and carbon dioxide has changed over time. In this sense, carbonates are a kind of time capsule, and opening this capsule will re- veal much more about why and over what amount of time Mars became so dry. A n imaginary scene showing astronauts and set- tlements on Mars. The Mars 2020 rover will carry many new tech- nologies that will make future human exploration easier and safer. [NASA]