See NASA’s Perseverance rover make its first big moves on Mars



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Perseverance has made its first traces on Mars.

NASA / JPL-CalTech

From NASA Rover Perseverance March 2020 is on a roll, for the very first time. In its tentative first steps on the Red Planet, the truck-sized robot rolled forward from its 13-foot (4-meter) landing point, then settled into place 150 degrees to the left. , retreated 8 feet (2.5 meters) and took the above image of its tracks in the Martian surface.

All six wheels of the rover are motorized, which technically makes it a six-wheel drive vehicle. It has a maximum speed of one hundredth of a mile per hour (0.016 kilometers per hour). Surprisingly, this makes it a hot rod among Martian rovers.

“We can really drive five times faster than Curiosity: 200 meters (656 feet) per (Martian day),” Anais Zarifian, engineer at the Perseverance mobility test bench, told reporters on Friday, explaining that the rover processes images from its cameras more quickly.

“He is able to think while driving.”

Perseverance made its bold landing in the Jezero de Mars crater on February 18. NASA also announced on Friday that the exact landing site has a new official title: the Octavia E. Butler Landing Site, named after the influential sci-fi author who also resides in Pasadena, California, where the control of the Perseverance mission is centered.

“Butler’s protagonists embody determination and inventiveness, which makes him an ideal fit for the rover’s mission Perseverance and its theme of overcoming challenges,” said Kathryn Stack Morgan, associate project scientist for Perseverance. “Butler has inspired and influenced the global scientific community and many others beyond, including those generally under-represented in STEM fields.”

During its first few weeks on Mars, Perseverance saw other landmark moments, including the first successful manipulation of its robotic arm, which was captured in a series of images.

A montage of images of Perseverance flexing its robotic arm.

NASA / JPL-CalTech

Deputy Mission Director Robert Hogg reports that the rover’s wind sensor has also been successfully deployed and that he has downloaded and installed a 16MB software update that will handle 140 tasks running simultaneously on his computer.

“Kind of like getting a software update for your electric car,” Hogg said.

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A view of the delta in the Jezero crater. The mound in the distance is over a mile from the rover.

NASA / JPL-CalTech

Following, Perseverance will continue to test and calibrate the tools he will use to search for signs of ancient life and make oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, among other scientific goals. It will also begin to take longer trips and prepare for the experimental flight test program of Ingenuity, the small helicopter he took for the trip.

The Perseverance team has already started plotting possible routes for the rover to explore the ancient delta of the river that would once have sunk into the Jezero crater.

The next update will take place on Wednesday March 10.

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A roadmap for the possible route of Perseverance on the Martian surface.

NASA / JPL-CalTech

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