Excited engineers unveiled “fantastic” images of the Mars rover perseverance Friday, including a spectacular shot from above that shows the six-wheeled robot descending to the surface of Jezero Crater in its rocket-powered backpack.
Another photograph, taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter when it flew over the landing site during the rover’s descent on Thursday, showed the Perseverance flying saucer-shaped air shell suspended under the rover’s parachute against the backdrop of Crater Lake.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
He first color image from the surface was also shown, courtesy of a camera to avoid risks, or “hazcam”, mounted just below the body of Perseverance showing a crystal clear view of the rubble-strewn terrain where the rover touched.
For Adam Steltzner, chief engineer of the Perseverance mission and the man who managed the descent of the Curiosity rover to Mars in 2012, the image of Perseverance suspended from above was not at all inspiring.
“The team is overwhelmed with excitement and joy at having successfully landed another rover on Mars,” he said.
Showing iconic images of past space triumphs, from astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon to the Hubble Space Telescope “Pillars of creation“and a spectacular image of Saturn ringed, Steltzner said,” We can only hope … that one day we can bring another iconic image to this collection. “
NASA / JPL-Caltech
“I hope we can do that today,” he said, unveiling the Perseverance shot from above. “There are these fantastic images that we’ve had a chance to take and we’re still coming down from the surface … and we hope we can see them in the next few days.”
Perseverance landing Thursday ended a seven-month journey from Earth that traveled 293 million miles.
The final stretch of the trip i by far, the riskiest since launch, it was the seven-minute descent from the top of the Martian atmosphere to the ground of Jezero Crater using a supersonic parachute, new risk avoidance systems, and the rocket-driven descent stage that goes bring the rover down to the touchdown.
“I am happy to say that the rover is doing good things and is healthy on the surface of Mars,” said Pauline Hwang, deputy strategic mission manager.
The dramatic maneuver of the “sky crane” brought Perseverance to the surface in a region known as Chelly Canyon, just beyond a wide delta formation observed from the edge of Jezero Crater. The delta consists of deposits provided by a river that once cut a channel at the edge of the crater.
NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona
Perseverance will study the deposits in Jezero soil and the delta, collecting samples of rock and soil that could reveal the presence of “biosignatures,” remnants of past microbial life. NASA is working with the European Space Agency on plans to retrieve samples by the end of this decade and return them to Earth for analysis.
“To say that Perseverance’s science team is excited about making this rover safe on Mars is an understatement,” said Katie Stack Morgan, the project’s assistant scientist. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for years. And we’re finally here.”
But first, engineers plan to spend several weeks activating the rover’s communications systems, updating its computer software, checking its scientific instruments, taking off and testing the robot’s arm, and releasing a small helicopter to test the flight’s viability. fine Martian atmosphere.
Over the weekend, engineers plan to lift the Perseverance remote sensing pole so high-resolution cameras can capture panoramic views of the top of the rover’s body and its surroundings at Rector Jezero. The software update, a four-day process, is expected to be completed by the end of next week.
Meanwhile, new images of the dramatic offspring and possibly the rover’s video are expected on Monday, when NASA plans another briefing.