NASA's newest Mars images offer striking clues to Earth's neighbor

NASA’s newest images and mission updates underscore how Mars may once have been far more Earthlike than today’s barren landscape suggests. Scientists say abundant evidence points to a past with flowing water, active volcanoes, and the potential for simple life. The push comes as NASA prepares for crewed missions in the coming years, with robotic explorers gathering the data now. Perseverance launched in 2020, reached Jezero Crater in February 2021, and by late 2024 climbed within the crater rim to search for ancient microbial biosignatures, including a potential signal announced in September 2025. Curiosity, meanwhile, continues exploring Gale Crater and has collected 42 drill samples.