BY ISSAM AHMED AND LUCIE AUBOURG (AFP)
After seven months in space, NASA's Perseverance rover overcame a tense landing phase with a series of perfectly executed maneuvers to gently float down to the Martian soil Thursday and embark on its mission to search for signs of past life.
"Touchdown confirmed," said operations lead Swati Mohan at 3:55 pm Eastern Time (2055 GMT), as mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena erupted in cheers.
The autonomously guided procedure was in fact completed more than 11 minutes earlier, the length of time it took for radio signals to return to Earth.
Members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation that the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars
Bill INGALLS, NASA/AFP
Shortly after landing, the rover sent back its first black-and-white images, revealing a rocky field at the landing site in the Jezero Crater, just north of the Red Planet's equator.
More images, video of the descent and perhaps the first sounds of Mars ever recorded by microphones are expected in the coming hours as the rover relays data to overhead satellites.
US President Joe Biden hailed the "historic" event.
"Today proved once again that with the power of science and American ingenuity, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility," he tweeted.
NASA's Perseverance rover will attempt to collect 30 rock and soil samples in sealed tubes, to be eventually sent back to Earth sometime in the 2030s for lab analysis
Handout, NASA/AFP/File
Perseverance's prime mission will last just over two years but it is likely to remain operational well beyond that, with its predecessor Curiosity still functioning eight years after landing on the planet, said NASA acting administrator Steve Jurczyk.
"It'll be on Mars for its entire life," he said, adding "these robots tend to be really reliable."
Over the coming years, Perseverance will attempt to collect 30 rock and soil samples in sealed tubes, to be eventually sent back to Earth sometime in the 2030s for lab analysis.
About the size of an SUV, the craft weighs a ton, is equipped with a seven foot- (two meter-) long robotic arm, has 19 cameras, two microphones and a suite of cutting-edge instruments to assist in its scientific goals.
Before it could set out on its lofty quest, it first had to overcome the dreaded "seven minutes of terror" -- the risky entry, descent and landing phase that has scuppered nearly half of all missions to Mars.
Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter
Gal ROMA, AFP
The spacecraft carrying Perseverance careened into the Martian atmosphere at 12,500 miles (20,000 kilometers) per hour, protected by its heat shield, then deployed a supersonic parachute the size of a Little League field, before firing up an eight-engined jetpack.
Finally, it lowered the rover carefully to the ground on a set of cables.
Allen Chen, lead engineer for the landing stage, said a new guidance system called "Terrain Relative Navigation," which uses a special camera to identify surface features and compare them to an onboard map, was key to landing in a rugged region of scientific interest.
"We are in a nice flat spot, the vehicle is only tilted by about 1.2 degrees," he said. "We did successfully find that parking lot, and have a safe rover on the ground."
- Ancient lake -
Scientists believe that around 3.5 billion years ago the crater was home to a river that flowed into a deep lake, depositing sediment in a fan-shaped delta.
Perseverance ended up landing about two kilometers (a mile) southeast of the delta, NASA scientist Ken Farley said, in a geologically significant area.
Gal ROMA, AFP
The spacecraft carrying Perseverance careened into the Martian atmosphere at 12,500 miles (20,000 kilometers) per hour, protected by its heat shield, then deployed a supersonic parachute the size of a Little League field, before firing up an eight-engined jetpack.
Finally, it lowered the rover carefully to the ground on a set of cables.
Allen Chen, lead engineer for the landing stage, said a new guidance system called "Terrain Relative Navigation," which uses a special camera to identify surface features and compare them to an onboard map, was key to landing in a rugged region of scientific interest.
"We are in a nice flat spot, the vehicle is only tilted by about 1.2 degrees," he said. "We did successfully find that parking lot, and have a safe rover on the ground."
- Ancient lake -
Scientists believe that around 3.5 billion years ago the crater was home to a river that flowed into a deep lake, depositing sediment in a fan-shaped delta.
Perseverance ended up landing about two kilometers (a mile) southeast of the delta, NASA scientist Ken Farley said, in a geologically significant area.
Scientists believe that around 3.5 billion years ago, the Jezero Crater was home to a river that flowed into a lake, depositing sediment in a fan shape known as a delta
Handout, NASA/AFP/File
Mars was warmer and wetter in its distant past, and while previous exploration has determined the planet was habitable, Perseverance is tasked with determining whether it was actually inhabited.
It will begin drilling its first samples in summer, and along the way it will deploy new instruments to scan for organic matter, map chemical composition and zap rocks with a laser to study the vapor.
Despite the rover's state-of-the-art technology, bringing samples back to Earth remains crucial because of anticipated ambiguities in the specimens it documents.
For example, fossils that arose from ancient microbes may look suspiciously similar to patterns caused by precipitation.
- Flying on another world -
Before getting to the main mission, NASA wants to run several eye-catching experiments.
A full scale model of the experimental Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will be carried under the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, is displayed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Patrick T. FALLON, AFP
Tucked under Perseverance's belly is a small helicopter drone that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet in a few weeks' time.
Dubbed Ingenuity, it will have to achieve lift in an atmosphere that's one percent the density of Earth's, a demonstration of concept that could revolutionize the way humans explore other planets.
Another experiment involves an instrument that can convert oxygen from Mars's primarily carbon dioxide atmosphere, much like a plant.
The idea is that humans eventually won't need to carry their own oxygen on hypothetical future trips, which is crucial for rocket fuel as well as for breathing.
The rover is only the fifth ever to set its wheels down on Mars. The feat was first accomplished in 1997, and all of them have been American.
The US is also preparing for an eventual human mission to the planet, though planning remains very preliminary.
"Maybe by mid-to-end of the 2030s we can start pushing out of the Earth-Moon system and land astronauts on Mars," said Jurczyk.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/touchdown-nasa-s-perseverance-rover-ready-to-search-for-life-on-mars/article/585723#ixzz6mvcssoJA
NASA Mars rover Perseverance hits 'bullseye' for Thursday landing
An illustration shows NASA's Mars rover Perseverance packed inside its heat shield as it enters the Martian atmosphere for landing on Thursday afternoon. Image courtesy of NASA | License Photo
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- NASA's new Mars rover, Perseverance, traveled through space to the precise location needed to land successfully Thursday at its intended crater on the Red Planet, agency controllers said.
Landing is planned at around 3:55 p.m. EST in Jezero Crater, which is an ancient lakebed the size of California's Lake Tahoe, on the planet's northern hemisphere.
"We are right where we want to be, so we have hit that bullseye," Allen Chen, a NASA lead engineer on the project, said Wednesday during a press briefing from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
"That's pretty incredible considering our last maneuver [a course correction] was back in December," Chen said.
RELATED Mars rover mission could drive research for decades to come
The rover's spacecraft is in such good health that "Perseverance could land itself, already, without any more help from us here," Wallace said.
Still, the control room is keeping a close on the interplanetary journey, he said.
"We have to hit an entry corridor that's really just a handful of kilometers across after traveling hundreds of millions of miles to Mars," he said.
RELATED Perseverance rover begins approach to Mars atmosphere
"Our batteries are now topped up at 100% state of charge, we have tested out our engines and our guidance sensors. They are ready to go."
Perseverance is NASA's fifth rover mission to Mars. Multiple landers also have explored the planet starting with Viking 1 in 1976.
Perseverance, which was launched from Florida in July, has more science equipment packed on board than any other rover, Wallace said.
Experiments include a helicopter that will fly on another planet for the first time, a chamber to create oxygen from the thin Mars atmosphere and a rock drill that will leave samples on the surface for future missions to collect for a planned return to Earth.
"We have to land safely on Mars, and that is always a challenging feat for us," Wallace said. "It is one of the most difficult maneuvers that we do in space. ... You know, almost 50% of the spacecraft that had been sent to the surface of Mars failed."
Exploration of Mars through history
Members of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, on February 18. Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA | License Photo
upi.com/7076345
An illustration shows NASA's Mars rover Perseverance packed inside its heat shield as it enters the Martian atmosphere for landing on Thursday afternoon. Image courtesy of NASA | License Photo
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- NASA's new Mars rover, Perseverance, traveled through space to the precise location needed to land successfully Thursday at its intended crater on the Red Planet, agency controllers said.
Landing is planned at around 3:55 p.m. EST in Jezero Crater, which is an ancient lakebed the size of California's Lake Tahoe, on the planet's northern hemisphere.
"We are right where we want to be, so we have hit that bullseye," Allen Chen, a NASA lead engineer on the project, said Wednesday during a press briefing from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
"That's pretty incredible considering our last maneuver [a course correction] was back in December," Chen said.
RELATED New era of Mars exploration begins as craft nears Red Planet
Weather at Jezero Crater appears to be favorable for a landing, Chen said. There are no signs of Mars' dreaded dust storms that can wreak havoc on machinery.
"There are some clouds that are out there ... but nothing near our general landing site," Chen said. "The skies look very clear."
At midday Wednesday, the spacecraft was 150,000 miles from the Red Planet, and picking up speed as Mars gravity pulled it closer, said Matt Wallace, deputy project manager for the mission.
Weather at Jezero Crater appears to be favorable for a landing, Chen said. There are no signs of Mars' dreaded dust storms that can wreak havoc on machinery.
"There are some clouds that are out there ... but nothing near our general landing site," Chen said. "The skies look very clear."
At midday Wednesday, the spacecraft was 150,000 miles from the Red Planet, and picking up speed as Mars gravity pulled it closer, said Matt Wallace, deputy project manager for the mission.
RELATED Mars rover mission could drive research for decades to come
The rover's spacecraft is in such good health that "Perseverance could land itself, already, without any more help from us here," Wallace said.
Still, the control room is keeping a close on the interplanetary journey, he said.
"We have to hit an entry corridor that's really just a handful of kilometers across after traveling hundreds of millions of miles to Mars," he said.
RELATED Perseverance rover begins approach to Mars atmosphere
"Our batteries are now topped up at 100% state of charge, we have tested out our engines and our guidance sensors. They are ready to go."
Perseverance is NASA's fifth rover mission to Mars. Multiple landers also have explored the planet starting with Viking 1 in 1976.
Perseverance, which was launched from Florida in July, has more science equipment packed on board than any other rover, Wallace said.
Experiments include a helicopter that will fly on another planet for the first time, a chamber to create oxygen from the thin Mars atmosphere and a rock drill that will leave samples on the surface for future missions to collect for a planned return to Earth.
"We have to land safely on Mars, and that is always a challenging feat for us," Wallace said. "It is one of the most difficult maneuvers that we do in space. ... You know, almost 50% of the spacecraft that had been sent to the surface of Mars failed."
Exploration of Mars through history
Members of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, on February 18. Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA | License Photo
upi.com/7076345
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