image

epa09022347 A 3D model of the SuperCam instrument is on display at the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) ahead of a visit of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) to watch the landing of the NASAâÄ™s Perseverance Mars rover on the planet Mars, in Paris, France, 18 February 2021. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The Perseverance rover carries the SuperCam instrument, built by a US-French team of several dozen engineers and scientists from CNES, CNRS and universities. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT-TESSON / POOL