If like me you are eagerly awaiting the imminent landing of the new NASA Perseverance Mars Rover, taking place this Thursday after a seven-month journey from Earth to Mars, you are sure to enjoy a quick overview video created by YouTuber Mark Rober. The main task of the Mars rover is to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth. Perseverance launched from Earth on July 30, 2020, and will touchdown this Thursday, February 18th, 2021, and is carrying the NASA Mars Helicopter drone.
The Mission Objectives
The Perseverance rover is equipped with a suite of scientific instruments designed to explore the Martian surface in unprecedented detail. One of its primary objectives is to search for signs of ancient microbial life in the Jezero Crater, a location believed to have once been a lakebed. This area is of particular interest because it may have preserved biosignatures, or indicators of past life, in its sedimentary rocks.
In addition to its life-seeking mission, Perseverance will collect and store a variety of rock and soil samples. These samples will be sealed in special tubes and left on the Martian surface for a future mission to retrieve and return to Earth. This sample return mission is a collaborative effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and is expected to provide invaluable insights into the planet’s geology and climate history.
“Watch an epic journey unfold on Thursday, Feb. 18 as our Perseverance rover lands on Mars. To reach the surface of the Red Planet, the rover has to survive the harrowing final phase known as Entry, Descent, and Landing. Only then can the rover – the biggest, heaviest, cleanest, and most sophisticated six-wheeled robot ever launched into space – search Jezero Crater for signs of ancient life and collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth. Tune in to a live video feed of key landing activities and commentary from Mission Control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.”
Technological Innovations
Perseverance is not just a scientific marvel; it is also a technological powerhouse. One of the most exciting pieces of technology onboard is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. This small, autonomous rotorcraft will attempt the first powered flight on another planet. Ingenuity’s mission is primarily experimental, aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of aerial exploration on Mars. If successful, it could pave the way for future missions that include aerial drones to scout terrain and assist rovers.
Another groundbreaking technology on Perseverance is the MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) instrument. MOXIE will attempt to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, which is primarily composed of carbon dioxide. This technology could be crucial for future human missions to Mars, providing a sustainable source of oxygen for astronauts and potentially for fuel.
The rover also features advanced imaging systems, including the Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras that will capture high-definition video, panoramic color images, and 3D images of the Martian surface. These images will help scientists and engineers plan the rover’s route and study the planet’s geology in detail.
Perseverance’s landing will be a nail-biting event, involving a complex sequence of maneuvers known as Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL). This phase includes the infamous “seven minutes of terror,” during which the rover must autonomously navigate its way through the Martian atmosphere, deploy a parachute, and execute a sky-crane landing to gently place itself on the surface.
Source: NASA
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