'Mars 2020 Rover': The Final Three Potential Landing Sites

NASA scientists have chosen three potential landing sites for the Mars 2020 rover at the workshop held in Monrovia, California, on Feb. 8 to Feb. 10, 2017. These sites include a past volcanic hotbed, an ancient lake and an early hot-spring site.

The Mars rover is expected to search for signs of ancient life on the planet Mars after landing in February 2021. It will explore the Red Planet for two years, according to Fox News.

NASA has chosen the following potential landing sites:

Area around Columbia Hills in Gusev Crater, #Mars - Using @HiRISE data - https://t.co/WKL5YrBfJs pic.twitter.com/xZze8fsspb

— Kevin M. Gill (@kevinmgill) February 13, 2017

• Columbia Hills, Gusev Crater

Columbia Hills are a range of low hills situated in the Gusev crater. This was the landing site of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit in 2004. The hills were just about 3 kilometers from the rover's landing site. The Spirit had been exploring the Red Planet until it stopped functioning in 2010. The Spirit rover found evidence of past mineral hot springs at a certain location.

Jezero crater along with three other sites top list of sites for the 2020 Mars rover. https://t.co/XQ4wxycaIh pic.twitter.com/04Mv6nejlo — Mars Weather (@MarsWxReport) February 13, 2017

• Jezero Crater

Jezero, which means "lake," is a crater that is located in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. The crater has about 49 kilometers in diameter. It is once thought that the crater had been flooded with water. About 3.5 billion years ago, the river channels released over the crater wall and formed a lake. It is also theorized that microbial life could have had lived in the lake during one or more of these wet times.

Possible Sulfate-Rich Terrain in the Northeast Syrtis Major Region – https://t.co/5ke2GPBDHG pic.twitter.com/QJuQFgc6Bs

— HiRISE (NASA) (@HiRISE) January 10, 2016

• North Eastern Syrtis

The northeastern Syrtis Major Planum was a past volcanic hotbed. Its underground heat sources made hot springs flow and surface ice melt. It is also once thought that microbes could have flourished in this area, in which liquid water was in contact with minerals.