Nasa mars rover marks its year1/17/2024 ![]() Perseverance had to pull off the landing on its own because radio signals, moving at 186,000 miles per second, needed more than 11 minutes to cross the 127-million-mile gulf between Earth and Mars. The rover then adjusted its course as required to avoid possible missions-ending hazards. The rover's automated descent appeared to go flawlessly as its flight computer used multiple cameras, radar and other sensors to figure out exactly where it was in relation to the planned landing target. Engineers expect to downlink additional photos over the next several days and even videos that were captured during the descent. An image from a camera aboard Perseverance, taken while a transparent dust cover was still attached, provided welcome proof the rover had avoided possible mission-ending hazards, landing in a boulder-free zone on the floor of Jezero Crater. "YES! Whoo Hoo!" an engineer exclaimed as the photo flashed up on control room displays. "Touchdown confirmed! " Mohan called a moment later.Ī few moments later, the first image from one of the rover's hazard cameras came in, showing a relatively flat surface with no large boulders or other obstacles in view. "We're still getting signals from MRO," an engineer reported about 20 meters above the surface," Mohan reported as the rover's descent neared its conclusion. But UHF signals confirming the landing were relayed to JPL by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was passing overhead. #CountdownToMars /dkM9jE9I6X- NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover February 18, 2021Įarth dropped below the horizon as viewed from Jezero Crater about a minute before touchdown, cutting off direct-to-Earth X-band radio signals from Perseverance. Seconds later, eight engines in a rocket-powered backpack fired up, slowing the craft to less than 2 mph by the time it reached an expected altitude of just 70 feet or so. Then, less than a minute from touchdown, at an altitude of about 2.1 miles, Perseverance fell free of its parachute while still descending at about 200 mph. Slowing to just below 1,000 mph, it deployed a giant 70.5-foot-wide parachute in the supersonic slipstream and used an advanced guidance system to identify hazards and pick out a safe landing spot on the floor of Jezero Crater. EST and quickly decelerated in a blaze of atmospheric friction, its protective heat shield enduring temperatures as high as 2,700 degrees - hot enough to melt stainless steel - and a braking force of 10 times the force of gravity on Earth. The rover hit the top of the discernible Martian atmosphere at 3:48 p.m. NzSxW6nw4k- President Biden February 18, 2021 Today proved once again that with the power of science and American ingenuity, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. Frequently described as "seven minutes of terror," the rover's descent was a nail-biting sequence of computer-orchestrated make-or-break events that had to work in near flawless fashion to get the 2,260-pound rover safely down on an ancient lakebed in Jezero Crater, avoiding dangerous cliffs, large boulders and sand dunes in the process.Ĭongratulations to NASA and everyone whose hard work made Perseverance’s historic landing possible. Back row, right to left: deputy project manager Matt Wallace, project manager John McNamee, deputy project manager Jennifer Trosper and Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA director of sciece operations. Mission managers erupt in cheers as Perseverance touches down. Elated, if socially distanced, flight engineers burst into cheers and applause, anxiety giving way to relief in the joy of the moment. "Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance is safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life!" Swati Mohan, a guidance, navigation and control officer monitoring telemetry at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, called out as the rover touched down. Racing through space at more than 12,000 mph, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover reached Mars on Thursday and pulled off a thrilling seven-minute plunge through the atmosphere to land on the surface of the red planet to look for evidence of past microbial life in the remnants of an ancient lake. NASA's Perseverance rover survives "seven minutes of terror" to land on Mars 06:39 ![]()
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