The NASA's Perseverance rover, dispatched to Mars, has just unveiled information about the Jezero Crater that sparks immense interest in planetology and the search for.
so imagine, if you could, a 28-mile-wide lake sitting on mars and being there for a billion years and now that lake is dried out. we re digging in the bottom of the lake and we re finding organic molecules, complex molecules of carbon and hydrogen and oxygen that are the basis stuff of life. and across this huge old lake bed, it is not the same everywhere, as if there were just like life. little pockets that are different. and the earth and mars were really similar about three and a half billion years ago. those are the oldest fossils we found on earth. so this type of next step discovery and it ties into what the james webb is looking at, you know, those early stars forming. right. now maybe like on mars. it is like, are we alone or not? that s what we re nibbling on the edge here. can i ask yet another
okay, let s just be hopeful it s going to work out some day. what are you most excited about once artemis i is up in the air? are you excited about the moon exploration making habitat there? are you excited about the mars component? what are you looking forward to the most? well, ultimately, of course, it would be wonderful to see humans on mars. that would be outstanding and fantastic. the shorter term goal is to humans back to the moon. way back when when i joined nasa when i was interviewing to join nasa way back in 1989 and president bush xli had the exploration program that would have seen us or projected to put us on mars in 2019 with a stop at the moon seems so far away and now that date has passed. in the medium term, getting humans back to the moon. it s been nearly 50 years since
i hid for 75, 85 years and this is actually, basically the first time i ve ever come out. reporter: that moment went viral. what is it like when you say something and suddenly it s everywhere? it was amazing. after is said it, i got to thinking about my family, naturally and i was so worried that i ve lost my family. they called me up the next morning and said maybell, we love you for what you are and just be yourself and live your life. reporter: now, truly, in a league of her own. as long as i can stand, i can swing a bat. reporter: kris van cleave, cbs news, sunset beach, california. go ahead ms. maybell, that s the weekend news for this sunday. coming up on 60 minutes, a look at how nasa made history on mars. thank you so much for watching. have a safe holiday weekend. goodnight.