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takyon writes:

NASA has picked three possible sites on Mars for the collection of rock and soil samples that are intended to be returned to Earth in a future mission:

The future of NASA's Mars programme just got a lot more [focused]. The agency has narrowed — from eight to three — the list of potential landing sites for its 2020 rover, which will scoop up Martian rock and soil in the hopes of one day returning them to Earth.

NASA shortlisted the sites on 10 February, at the end of a three-day workshop in Monrovia, California, to hash out where the spacecraft will go. The final decision will be made a year or two before launch. The choice is one of the most momentous in Mars exploration, as it will dictate what rocks are picked up to bring back to Earth — and therefore what scientific questions will be tested for decades to come.

[...] The three sites include Jezero crater, which was once home to an ancient Martian lake and which could preserve the remains of microbial life, if it ever existed on Mars. "You've got a large river bringing water and sediment into a very large lake, comparable to Lake Tahoe," says Timothy Goudge, a planetary scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. Jezero scored highest on a community vote of scientists attending the workshop. Other possible targets include Northeast Syrtis, where hot waters once circulated through the crust and could have supported life, and Columbia Hills, the area explored for years by NASA's Spirit rover.

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