That magical spot in Jezero Crater, where NASA’s Perseverance rover made its historic landing last month, has been named “Octavia E. Butler Landing” in honor of the late science fiction author.
“I can’t think of anyone better to mark this historic landing site than Octavia E. Butler, who not only grew up alongside JPL [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory] in Pasadena, but it also inspired millions with their visions of a science-based future, ”said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate science administrator. NASA release.
In fact, NASA got it right, as Butler is a worthy choice for such a prestigious honor.
Butler, who died in 2006 at the age of 58, was the first African American woman to win the Hugo i Nebula Awards and the first science fiction writer distinguished with a MacArthur Scholarship. The acclaimed author is known for works such as Xenogenesis the trilogy and the Parable i Patronist series, in which he criticized the hierarchical and prejudicial tendencies of humanity, especially those based on race, sex, and class.
“Butler’s protagonists embody determination and inventiveness, making her a perfect fit for the Perseverance rover’s mission and its theme of overcoming challenges,” Kathryn Stack Morgan, assistant project scientist for Perseverance, said in a statement. NASA press release. “Butler inspired and influenced the planetary science community and many other countries, including those typically underrepresented in STEM fields.”
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The Perseverance rover — now officially at the Octavia E. Butler Landing inside Jezero Crater—successfully completed your first driving test orn March 4th.
During the exc. 33 minutesursion, Specialists from NASA’s Mars 2020 mission advanced the rover 13 meters (4 meters), rotated 150 degrees to the left while holding it in place and then backed up 2.5 meters (8 meters). feet) in a new Martian parking lot. In all, Percy traveled 6.5 meters, a small step for a rover but a giant leap for the team back home.
Percy’s six-wheel drive “responded magnificently” and the team “trusts” that the traction system is “good to go,” said Anais Zarifian, mobility test engineer for the Perseverance Mars 2020 rover at JPL. Eventually, the rover will travel closer distances 650 feet (200 meters) as part of the mission’s scientific work.
Trover software recently updated, and several instruments have now been deployed, including a pair of wind sensors and a ground penetration radar. The machine is 7 feet long (2-meters) the robotic arm was also put into action, as the team flexed all five joints for one dos-hourly test. That was it important, as the arm will eventually allow detailed observations of geological features and sample drilling.
Looking to the future, the rover will be testing longer tests and its numerous instruments will remain tested and calibrated. As part of this launch phase, NASA will deploy the Wit helicopter, which is currently attached to the rover’s belly. The team will soon select an airfield from which to fly the little one aerial vehicle, in what is about to be a historic test.
NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater on February 18th. A major goal of the two-year mission is to search this crater — an ancient delta of the lake and river. signs of the previous life.