Perseverance (rover)

Perseverance
Part of Mars 2020
Self-portrait by Perseverance in September 2021 at Rochette, a rock and the site of the first core samples of the Mars 2020 mission.
TypeMars rover
OwnerNASA
ManufacturerJet Propulsion Laboratory
Specifications
Dimensions2.9 m × 2.7 m × 2.2 m
(9 ft 6 in × 8 ft 10 in × 7 ft 3 in)
Dry mass1,025 kilograms (2,260 lb)
Communication
PowerMMRTG; 110 watt
RocketAtlas V 541
Instruments
History
Launched
Deployed
  • February 18, 2021, 20:55 UTC; 3 years ago (February 18, 2021, 20:55 UTC)
  • from the Mars 2020 EDLS
Location18°26′49″N 77°24′07″E / 18.447°N 77.402°E / 18.447; 77.402 (Perseverance rover)
Jezero crater, Mars
Travelled28.91 km (17.96 mi) as of 19 September 2024[1]
NASA Mars rovers

Perseverance,[2] is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 UTC.[3] Confirmation that the rover successfully landed on Mars was received on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC.[4][5] As of 17 November 2024, Perseverance has been active on Mars for 1332 sols (1,368 Earth days, or 3 years, 8 months and 30 days) since its landing. Following the rover's arrival, NASA named the landing site Octavia E. Butler Landing.[6][7]

Perseverance has a similar design to its predecessor rover, Curiosity, although it was moderately upgraded. It carries seven primary payload instruments, nineteen cameras, and two microphones.[8]

The rover also carried the mini-helicopter Ingenuity to Mars, an experimental technology testbed that made the first powered aircraft flight on another planet on April 19, 2021.[9] On January 18, 2024 (UTC), it made its 72nd and final flight, suffering damage on landing to its rotor blades, possibly all four, causing NASA to retire it.[10][11]

The rover's goals include identifying ancient Martian environments capable of supporting life, seeking out evidence of former microbial life existing in those environments, collecting rock and soil samples to store on the Martian surface, and testing oxygen production from the Martian atmosphere to prepare for future crewed missions.[12]

  1. ^ "Where is Perseverance?". NASA Science. NASA. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Landers, Rob (February 17, 2021). "It's landing day! What you need to know about Perseverance Rover's landing on Mars". Florida Today. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "Launch Windows". mars.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference landingtime was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Overbye, Dennis (February 19, 2021). "Perseverance's Pictures From Mars Show NASA Rover's New Home – Scientists working on the mission are eagerly scrutinizing the first images sent back to Earth by the robotic explorer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ NASA's Perseverance Drives on Mars' Terrain for First Time Archived March 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine NASA, March 5, 2021.
  7. ^ Staff (March 5, 2021). "Welcome to 'Octavia E. Butler Landing'". NASA. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Mars Perseverance Landing Press Kit" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ Chang, Kenneth (April 19, 2021). "NASA's Mars Helicopter Achieves First Flight on Another World – The experimental Ingenuity vehicle completed the short but historic up-and-down flight on Monday morning". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "After Three Years on Mars, NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends". Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  11. ^ NASA Science Live: Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Tribute & Legacy, January 31, 2024, retrieved February 1, 2024
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).