VIDEO: Stunning Jezero Crater of Mars seen in flyover

The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed a virtual flight over the popular Jezero Crater on Mars for those who wish to travel to space and broaden their horizons.

An animated video by ESA which was created with computer simulations from data collected by the agency's Mars Express and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a swoop down to Jezero’s location. The video shows Mars from above. First, the entire crater is seen in the frame and then the camera is zoomed into it to show the features of the crater in detail.

Then you'll view some of the crater's most significant features, including two inlet valleys known as Neretva Vallis and Sava Vallis and a lengthy, meandering outlet channel where water formerly poured out of the crater. Because water has been present in this area for such a long time, the exit channel is crucial.

Scientists want to look in areas where liquid water was present to look for signs of ancient life. However, it can be difficult to determine how long there was water there when there is evidence that there once was. 

Did the crater only infrequently or once ever fill with water? Or was it always dripping with water, making it considerably more friendly to any new life that could have emerged? Most of the time, we are unable to determine which of those is true. But since the water overflowed at Jezero and cut out the exit valley, we might infer that the area must have been submerged under water for a considerable amount of time.

Since it is very rare for a crater to have an outlet valley, Jezero is an excellent spot to hunt for evidence of life on Mars.