#Robot moon 393

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3 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Perseverance puts its robotic arm to work around a rocky outcrop called “Skinner Ridge” in a set of images captured in June and July 2022 by the rover’s Mastcam-Z camera system. SHERLOC is mounted on the end of the arm.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS Engineers are working to stabilize a dust cover on one of the science instrument’s cameras. Data and imagery from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover indicate one of two covers that keep dust from accumulating on the optics of the SHERLOC instrument remains partially open. In this position, the cover interferes with science data collection operations. Mounted on the rover’s robotic arm, SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) uses cameras, a spectrometer, and a laser to search for organic compounds and minerals that have been altered in watery environments and may be signs of past microbial life. The mission determined on Jan. 6 that the cover was oriented in such a position that some of its operation modes could not successfully operate. An engineering team has been investigating to determine the root cause and possible solutions. Recently, the cover partially opened. To better understand the behavior of the cover’s motor, the team has been sending commands to the instrument that alter the amount of power being fed to it. With the cover in its current position, the instrument cannot use its laser on rock targets, and cannot collect spectroscopy data. However, imaging microscopy can still be acquired with WATSON, a color camera on SHERLOC used for taking close-up images of rock grains and surface textures. WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) operates through a different aperture. SHERLOC is part of a seven-instrument suite on Perseverance. During development of the mission, the team designed the instrument suite such that the rover could still achieve its science objectives should any single instrument fail, as there is some overlap among the capabilities of the instruments. Along with SHERLOC, PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) and SuperCam also perform spectroscopy. Currently making its way to explore an area nicknamed “Beehive Geyser,” the rover marked its 1,000th Martian day, or sol, on the Red Planet on Dec. 12, 2023 – more than 300 sols beyond its initial prime mission. Since the rover’s landing Feb. 18, 2021, SHERLOC has scanned and provided rich data on 34 rock targets, creating a total of 261 hyperspectral maps of those targets. Featuring a radioisotope power system, Perseverance’s design is based on the agency’s Curiosity Mars rover, which is still going strong after more than 11 years (4,000 sols) on the Red Planet. More About the Mission A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ News Media Contacts Karen Fox / Alana JohnsonNASA Headquarters, Washington301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov DC AgleJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-9011agle@jpl.nasa.gov 2024-015 Share Details Last Updated Feb 13, 2024 Related TermsPerseverance (Rover)Jet Propulsion LaboratoryMars 2020 Explore More 7 min read JPL Workforce Update Article 7 days ago 2 min read University High School Wins Regional Science Bowl at NASA’s JPL Article 1 week ago 6 min read NASA Puts Next-Gen Exoplanet-Imaging Technology to the Test Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics Missions Humans in Space Climate Change Solar System

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MCOC Wishlist Poll Snapshot: Entire Rankings

001 Apocalypse 002 Quicksilver 003 Galactus 004 Adam Warlock 005 Sandman 006 Professor X 007 Kraven the Hunter 008 Kitty Pryde the Shadowcat 009 Spider-Man 2099 010 Valkyrie MCU 011 Black Cat 012 Bullseye 013 Cloak & Dagger 014 Dazzler 015 Jubilee 016 Jean Grey 90s 017 Morgan le Fay 018 Hercules 019 Nova (Sam Alexander) 020 Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) 021 Morbius the Living Vampire 022 Captain Britain 023 Lady Deathstrike 024 The Mandarin 025 Emperor Kl'rt the Super-Skrull 026 Thor (MCU Stormbreaker) 027 Onslaught 028 Polaris 029 Pyro 030 Hobgoblin 031 Valkyrie (Classic) 032 Beta Ray Bill 033 Stormborn 034 Black Knight 035 Shocker 036 Silver Sable 037 Okoye 038 Graviton 039 Dracula 040 Spider-Man Noir 041 Shuri 042 Quasar 043 Namora 044 Cannonball 045 Enchantress 046 Deathlok 047 Moonstone 048 Ares 049 Silver Samurai 050 Silk 051 Banshee 052 Songbird 053 Whiplash 054 Mystique 055 Destroyer Armor 056 Sif 057 Negasonic Teenage Warhead 058 Sunfire 059 Rescue 060 Crystal 061 Conan 062 Gamora 063 M'baku the Man-Ape 064 Spiral 065 Baron Helmut Zemo 066 Absorbing Man 067 White Tiger 068 Tigra 069 Red She-Hulk 070 Pixie 071 Spider-Ham 072 Dani Moonstar Mirage Psyche 073 Jessica Jones 074 Klaw 075 Titanium Man 076 Hydro-Man 077 Boom-Boom 078 Weapon Hex 079 Madame Masque 080 Forge 081 Armor 082 Prowler (Aaron Davis) 083 Madame Hydra / Viper 084 Mockingbird 085 Iron Spider 086 Clea 087 Monica Rambeau 088 Legion 089 Agent Anti-Venom 090 Cyttorak 091 Spitfire 092 Black Mamba 093 Vulcan 094 Firestar 095 Fantomex 096 White Fox 097 Doc Samson 098 Phantom Rider 099 Shang-Chi 100 Crimson Dynamo

101 Grim Reaper 102 Hank Pym 103 Rachel Summers 104 Mr. Negative 105 Union Jack 106 Juggerduck 107 Thor (Groot) 108 Mercury 109 Iron Monger 110 Daken 111 Blink 112 Ice-Thing 113 Supergiant 114 Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) 115 Hummingbird 116 Hit-Monkey 117 Shatterstar 118 Gladiator (Kallark) 119 Tombstone 120 Captain Universe Spider-Man 121 Darkstar 122 Future Colossus 123 Slapstick 124 Multiple-Man 125 Paladin 126 Gorilla-Man (Kenneth Hale) 127 Namorita 128 Ancient One 129 Stryfe 130 Dark Phoenix 131 Agent 14 132 Hogun the Grim 133 Arachne 134 Holocaust 135 Odin 136 Mister Hyde 137 Wendigo 138 Warpath 139 Paibok the Power-Skrull 140 Darkwing Duck 141 Madelyne Pryor 142 Nico Minoru 143 Malekith the Accursed 144 Meggan 145 Punisher: War Machine 146 Volstagg the Voluminous: War Thor 147 Siryn 148 Doctor Spectrum (Martha Gomes) 149 Jennifer Kale 150 Whirlwind 151 Blastaar 152 X-51 the Machine Man 153 Wrecker 154 Caiera the Oldstrong 155 Red Guardian 156 Falcon (Classic) 157 Attuma 158 Rom: Spaceknight 159 Sebastian Shaw 160 Hydra Supreme 161 Blackheart 162 Ka-Zar 163 Black Widow (Yelena Belova) 164 Sun Girl (Selah Burke) 165 Misty Knight 166 Wolfsbane 167 War Machine (Infinity Saga) 168 Corsair & Sikorsky 169 Animax 170 The Magus 171 Human Torch (Jim Hammond) 172 Speedball 173 Spider-Man (Miles Morales Movie) 174 Baymax (Movie) 175 Deathbird 176 Worthy Captain America (Mjölnir/Endgame) 177 Radioactive Man (Chen Lu) 178 Araña 179 Feral 180 Drax (MCU) 181 Superior Spider-Man 182 Thanos (Endgame) 183 Lizard 184 Marvel Girl (Jean Grey NPC) 185 Dazzler Thor 186 A-Bomb (Rick Jones) 187 Super-Adaptoid 188 Captain America Falcon 189 Grey Hulk 190 Blue Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) 191 Wiccan 192 Thena 193 Selene 194 Fandral the Dashing 195 Kree Sentry 196 Agent Carter 197 Prowler (Hobie Brown) 198 Colleen Wing 199 Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly) 200 Beetle (Abner Jenkins, AKA Mach I-Mach X)

201 Ironheart 202 Superior Octopus 203 Morlun 204 Yukio 205 Arcanna 206 Overmind 207 Black Tarantula 208 Hope Summers 209 Werewolf by Night 210 Beetle (Leila Davis, AKA Beetle Mk III) 211 Red King 212 Captain Universe (Devoux) 213 Wizard 214 Nimrod 215 Enigma (Aikku Jokinen, AKA Pod) 216 Jack O'Lantern (Levins) 217 Lady Hellbender 218 Black Tom Cassidy 219 Black Widow (Movie) (AKA White Widow) 220 Titania 221 Hulkling 222 Typhoid Mary 223 Dum Dum Dugan (LMD) 224 Master Mold 225 Boomerang 226 Machinesmith 227 Molecule Man 228 Kurse 229 Anti-Venom 230 Outlaw (Higgins) 231 Thunderbird (John Proudstar) 232 Lyja 233 Arnim Zola 234 Hala the Accuser 235 Scorpion 236 Mighty Destroyer 237 Lilandra 238 Maria Hill 239 Power Man (Alvarez) 240 She-Hulk (Lyra) 241 SP//dr 242 Nova (Frankie Raye) 243 Scarlet Spider II (Kaine Parker) 244 Magma 245 Thundra 246 Molten Man 247 Lash 248 Skurge the Executioner 249 M (Monet St. Croix) 250 Jean Grey (Tech, X-Men Red) 251 Charlie-27 252 Martinex 253 Gun-R 254 Jocasta 255 Avalanche 256 Hulkbuster 2.0 (MCU) 257 Hellion 258 Stature (Cassie Lang, AKA Stinger) 259 Death's Head Classic 260 Aleta 261 Penance (Baldwin) 262 Mistress Death 263 Dragon Man 264 Jigsaw 265 Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) 266 Xorn 267 Throg (Frog Thor) 268 Mantis 269 Iron Man (Mark I) 270 Yellowjacket (DeMara) 271 Smasher (Kane) 272 Living Laser 273 Agent Melinda May (The Cavalry) 274 Martyr (Phyla-Vell, AKA Quasar, Captain Marvel, Oblivion) 275 Molly Hayes 276 Doctor Octopus (Liv Octavius) 277 X-Man (Nate Grey) 278 Quasar (Kincaid) 279 Sasquatch 280 Captain America (Peggy Carter) 281 Stingray 282 Gwenom 283 Impossible Man 284 Serpent (Cul Borson) 285 Fin Fang Foom 286 Scientist Supreme (Rappaccini) 287 Blob 288 Blue Marvel 289 Iron Maiden 290 Wonder Man 291 Madame Web 292 Maximus the Mad 293 Cobra (Voorhees, AKA King Cobra) 294 Photon (Genis-Vell) 295 Trapster / Paste-Pot Pete 296 Spider-Girl MC2 (Mayday Parker) 297 Stargod (Jameson, AKA Man-Wolf) 298 Zadkiel 299 Atlas (Josten, AKA Shatterfist, Goliath, Smuggler, Power-Man) 300 Equinox

301 Scorpion (Black) 302 Gilgamesh the Forgotten One 303 Valkyrie Moonstar 304 Emplate 305 Phastos 306 Sage 307 Gorgon 308 Magus (Technarch) 309 Ultimate Green Goblin (Movie) 310 Goliath (Bill Foster AKA Black Goliath) 311 Constrictor 312 Husk 313 Dust 314 Crescent & Io 315 Punisher: Frankencastle 316 Sauron 317 Jackal 318 Sersi 319 Echo 320 Davos the Steel Serpent 321 N'kantu the Living Mummy 322 Warwolf 323 Foolkiller (Salinger) 324 Acroyear 325 Garrison Kane 326 Batroc the Leaper 327 Whizzer 328 Baron Blood 329 Doctor Druid 330 Iron Lad 331 Bug 332 Iron Fist (Randall) 333 Toxic Doxie 334 Ikaris 335 Makkari 336 Snowbird 337 Weapon H 338 Bi-Beast 339 Blazing Skull 340 Shuma-Gorath 341 Zzzax 342 Spider-Woman (Veranke, Queen of the Skrulls) 343 Chaos King (Amatsu Mikaboshi) 344 Chimera 345 Toad 346 Northstar 347 Asp 348 Nikki 349 Danger 350 Aurora 351 Spider-Bitch 352 Psyklop 353 Marionette 354 High Evolutionary 355 Brawn (Amadeus Cho, AKA "Chulk," the Totally Awesome Hulk) 356 Citizen V 357 Shroud 358 Red Hulk (Maverick) 359 Crystar 360 Count Nefaria 361 Daimon Hellstrom 362 Ghost Rider (Reyes) 363 Shiklah 364 Orrgo 365 Stick 366 Ajak 367 Xemnu the Living Hulk 368 Unicorn 369 Iso 370 Aero 371 Ghaur 372 Andromeda 373 Porcupine 374 Krang 375 Deacon Frost 376 Korvac 377 Stilt-Man 378 Caliban 379 Immortus 380 Human Fly (Deacon) 381 Tiger Shark 382 Hiro-Kala 383 Dorrek VII 384 Leader 385 Azazel 386 Dansen Macabre 387 Mammomax 388 Masked Marauder 389 Valeria (Age of Conan) 390 Vampire by Night 391 Blonde Phantom 392 Swordsman 393 Lady Bullseye 394 Magik II (Amanda Sefton AKA Daytripper) 395 No-Name the Brood 396 Mentallo 397 Kaluu 398 Singularity 399 Grey Gargoyle 400 Guardian

401 Wave 402 Fixer/Techno 403 Spiderling 404 Water Snake 405 Doombot (V Series) 406 Silhouette 407 Sword Master 408 Karn 409 Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) 410 Nick Fury (Classic) 411 Loki, Agent of Asgard (Ikol) 412 Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur 413 Ghost Rider (Circle of Four) 414 Captain America 2099 415 Silver Scorpion (Barstow) 416 Kingo 417 Justice 418 Dr. Cecilia Reyes 419 Manphibian 420 Killgrave the Purple Man 421 Quentin Quire the Kid Omega 422 Shadow King 423 Toro 424 Hellsgaard 425 Capwolf 426 Doombots & Servo-Guards 427 Hellcow 428 Hollow (Yvette, AKA Penance the St. Croix twins) 429 Franklin Richards 430 Abyss (Styger) 431 Thane 432 Skaar 433 Strong Guy 434 Triton 435 Mulholland Black 436 Demolition Man 437 Arkon 438 Cottonmouth (Stokes) 439 Rockslide 440 Ahab 441 Ezekiel 442 Spymaster 443 Night Nurse 444 Ox 445 Victorious (Vukovic) 446 Mack 447 Diamondback (Stryker) 448 Cottonmouth (Clemens) 449 Needle 450 Dominic Fortune 451 Cyclone 452 Skull the Slayer 453 Synapse 454 Arclight 455 Copycat 456 Killmonger (Emperor Symbiote) 457 Sleepwalker 458 Stegron 459 Puck 460 Voyager 461 Professor Hulk 462 Entropy 463 Elloe 464 Goldballs 465 Demon Bear 466 Nighthawk (Classic) 467 Korath the Pursuer 468 Jack of Hearts 469 Mindless Ones 470 Eel 471 Arcturus Rann the Space Glider 472 U.S. Agent (John Walker the Super-Patriot) 473 Minotaur (Dario Agger) 474 Cosmic Ghost Rider 475 Nighthawk (MAX) 476 Arcade 477 Chamber 478 Volcana 479 Zarathos 480 Morph 481 Doop 482 Beast (Hex-Men) 483 Doctor Nemesis 484 Jack Flag 485 Belasco 486 Hepzibah 487 Thunderstrike (Eric) 488 Anaconda 489 Thunderstrike (Kevin) 490 M-11 the Human Robot 491 Black Mariah 492 The Buzz 493 Xarggu 494 Arsenic & Old Lace 495 M.O.D.A.M. 496 Margali 497 Marrina 498 Noh-Varr 499 Yo-Yo (Elena Rodriguez AKA Slingshot) 500 Hellcat

501 Starhawk (Stakar) 502 Bushmaster (Quincy) 503 Miss America Chavez 504 Krugarr 505 Daredevil Shadowland 506 Bushmaster (John) 507 Trevor Fitzroy 508 Zeitgeist 509 Terror 510 Major Victory (Vance Astro) 511 Geena Drake 512 Shanna the She-Devil 513 Wong 514 Satana Hellstrom 515 Scream 516 Zarda the Power Princess 517 Nuke 518 Venom Rocket / Venom the Raccoon 519 Speed Demon 520 Tarantula (Kaine) 521 3-D Man / Marathon Man 522 Doorman 523 Superia 524 Carter Slade the Satan-Stomper 525 Dino-Thor 526 Hobgoblin 2099 527 Gorr the God-Butcher 528 Mimic 529 Great Lakes Avengers (team champ) 530 Psycho-Man 531 Moondragon 532 Agent Phil Coulson 533 Firelord the Spicy Q-Tip 534 Sin 535 Aldrich Killian on Extremis 536 Angel (Tech/Black Vortex) 537 Kaecilius 538 The Uranian 539 Dragoness 540 Storm (Queen of Wakanda) 541 Exodus 542 Gravity 543 Beetle (Janice Lincoln) 544 Blizzard 545 Maverick / Agent Zero 546 Swarm 547 Bloodstorm 548 Achebe 549 Kull the Conqueror of Atlantis 550 Slayback 551 Tempus (Eva Bell) 552 Nakia 553 Zenzi 554 Midnight Angels of Wakanda 555 Hyperstorm 556 Moses Magnum 557 Scalphunter 558 Harpoon 559 Solo 560 Black Swan 561 Gentle 562 American Son 563 D'Spayre 564 Doctor Crocodile 565 White Wolf (Hunter) 566 Tetu 567 Atlas Bear 568 Agatha Harkness 569 Elixir 570 Sugar Man 571 Uatu 572 Proteus 573 Terminus 574 Wolvie 575 Talos 576 Captain **** 577 Llyra 578 Jimmy Hudson (Poison) 579 Luna Snow 580 Eclipse 581 Miss America (Joyce) 582 Ms. Marvel II (Ventura) 583 Smasher (Rokk) 584 The Russian 585 Ogun 586 Lincoln Campbell 587 Cardiac 588 Taskmaster (MCU) 589 Owl 590 Plantman / Blackheath 591 Ms. Thing 592 She-Thing (Ventura) 593 Bloodscream 594 Karkas 595 Red Ghost and his Super-Apes 596 Shatter 597 Kluh 598 ForgetMeNot 599 Post 600 Litterbug

601 Karolina Dean 602 White Rabbit 603 Shogun 604 Iron Duck 605 Druig 606 Poundcakes 607 Sinara 608 Synch 609 Bushwacker 610 Haechi 611 Dirk Anger 612 Mister M 613 Powell McTeague

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NASA, ULA Launch Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission to Red Planet

NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is on its way to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples to send back to Earth.

Humanity’s most sophisticated rover launched with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at 7:50 a.m. EDT (4:50 a.m. PDT) Friday on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

“With the launch of Perseverance, we begin another historic mission of exploration,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This amazing explorer’s journey has already required the very best from all of us to get it to launch through these challenging times. Now we can look forward to its incredible science and to bringing samples of Mars home even as we advance human missions to the Red Planet. As a mission, as an agency, and as a country, we will persevere.”

The agency’s Mars 2020 mission is on its way. It will land at Jezero Crater in about seven months, on Feb. 18, 2021.

NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is on its way to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples to send back to Earth.

Humanity’s most sophisticated rover launched with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at 7:50 a.m. EDT (4:50 a.m. PDT) Friday on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

“With the launch of Perseverance, we begin another historic mission of exploration,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This amazing explorer’s journey has already required the very best from all of us to get it to launch through these challenging times. Now we can look forward to its incredible science and to bringing samples of Mars home even as we advance human missions to the Red Planet. As a mission, as an agency, and as a country, we will persevere.”

Get the Latest JPL News: Subscribe to the Newsletter »

The ULA Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage initially placed the Mars 2020 spacecraft into a parking orbit around Earth. The engine fired for a second time and the spacecraft separated from the Centaur as expected. Navigation data indicate the spacecraft is perfectly on course to Mars.

Mars 2020 sent its first signal to ground controllers via NASA’s Deep Space Network at 9:15 a.m. EDT (6:15 a.m. PDT). However, telemetry (more detailed spacecraft data) had not yet been acquired at that point. Around 11:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. PDT), a signal with telemetry was received from Mars 2020 by NASA ground stations. Data indicate the spacecraft had entered a state known as safe mode, likely because a part of the spacecraft was a little colder than expected while Mars 2020 was in Earth’s shadow. All temperatures are now nominal and the spacecraft is out of Earth’s shadow.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover began its long journey to Mars today by successfully launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a ULA Atlas V rocket. It now begins its seven-month journey to the Red Planet, landing there on Feb. 18, 2021. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

When a spacecraft enters safe mode, all but essential systems are turned off until it receives new commands from mission control. An interplanetary launch is fast-paced and dynamic, so a spacecraft is designed to put itself in safe mode if its onboard computer perceives conditions are not within its preset parameters. Right now, the Mars 2020 mission is completing a full health assessment on the spacecraft and is working to return the spacecraft to a nominal configuration for its journey to Mars.

The Perseverance rover’s astrobiology mission is to seek out signs of past microscopic life on Mars, explore the diverse geology of its landing site, Jezero Crater, and demonstrate key technologies that will help us prepare for future robotic and human exploration.

“Jezero Crater is the perfect place to search for signs of ancient life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “Perseverance is going to make discoveries that cause us to rethink our questions about what Mars was like and how we understand it today. As our instruments investigate rocks along an ancient lake bottom and select samples to return to Earth, we may very well be reaching back in time to get the information scientists need to say that life has existed elsewhere in the universe.”

The Martian rock and dust Perseverance’s Sample Caching System collects could answer fundamental questions about the potential for life to exist beyond Earth. Two future missions currently under consideration by NASA, in collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), will work together to get the samples to an orbiter for return to Earth. When they arrive on Earth, the Mars samples will undergo in-depth analysis by scientists around the world using equipment far too large to send to the Red Planet.

To get ready for the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, NASA invited the public to join a global, collective #CountdownToMars project. Fans from around the world recorded videos of their creative countdowns, giving Perseverance a celebratory sendoff for its launch on July 30, 2020. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

An Eye to a Martian Tomorrow

While most of Perseverance’s seven instruments are geared toward learning more about the planet’s geology and astrobiology, the MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) instrument’s job is focused on missions yet to come. Designed to demonstrate that converting Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen is possible, it could lead to future versions of MOXIE technology that become staples on Mars missions, providing oxygen for rocket fuel and breathable air.

Also future-leaning is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will remain attached to the belly of Perseverance for the flight to Mars and the first 60 or so days on the surface. A technology demonstrator, Ingenuity’s goal is a pure flight test – it carries no science instruments.

Over 30 sols (31 Earth days), the helicopter will attempt up to five powered, controlled flights. The data acquired during these flight tests will help the next generation of Mars helicopters provide an aerial dimension to Mars explorations – potentially scouting for rovers and human crews, transporting small payloads, or investigating difficult-to-reach destinations.

The rover’s technologies for entry, descent, and landing also will provide information to advance future human missions to Mars.

“Perseverance is the most capable rover in history because it is standing on the shoulders of our pioneers Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity,” said Michael Watkins, director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “In the same way, the descendants of Ingenuity and MOXIE will become valuable tools for future explorers to the Red Planet and beyond.”

About seven cold, dark, unforgiving months of interplanetary space travel lay ahead for the mission – a fact never far from the mind of Mars 2020 project team.

“There is still a lot of road between us and Mars,” said John McNamee, Mars 2020 project manager at JPL. “About 290 million miles of them. But if there was ever a team that could make it happen, it is this one. We are going to Jezero Crater. We will see you there Feb. 18, 2021.”

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of America’s larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA’s Artemis program.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and will manage operations of the Mars Perseverance rover. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management, and ULA provided the Atlas V rocket.

Learn more about the Mars 2020 mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/mars2020

For more about America’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, visit:

https://nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

  News Media Contact

Alana Johnson / Grey Hautaluoma NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-672-4780 / 202-358-0668 alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov / grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 david.c.agle@jpl.nasa.gov

2020-150

source https://scienceblog.com/517669/nasa-ula-launch-mars-2020-perseverance-rover-mission-to-red-planet/

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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Will Look at Mars Through These ‘Eyes’

When it launches this summer, NASA’s Perseverance rover will have the most advanced pair of “eyes” ever sent to the Red Planet’s surface: Its Mastcam-Z instrument packs a next-gen zoom capability that will help the mission make 3D imagery more easily. Rover operators, who carefully plan out each driving route and each movement of a rover’s robotic arm, view these stereo images through 3D goggles to see the contours of the landscape.

Located on Perseverance’s “head,” Mastcam-Z (the Z stands for “zoom”) is a more advanced version of Mastcam, which NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has relied on to produce gorgeous panoramas of the Martian landscape. But it does more than that, and so will Mastcam-Z: Along with producing images that enable the public to follow the rover’s daily discoveries, the cameras provide key data to help engineers navigate and scientists choose interesting rocks to study. The difference is that Curiosity’s Mastcam can’t zoom.

Zoom With a View

Curiosity’s Mastcam was initially designed to be zoomable, but that proved difficult to achieve at the time in such a small instrument (Curiosity launched in 2011).

“The original plan was for Curiosity to have a zoom camera that could go out to an extreme wide angle like a spaghetti western view,” said Jim Bell of Arizona State University, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator and Mastcam’s deputy principal investigator. “It would have been an amazing panoramic perspective but proved really hard to build at the time.”

Instead, Curiosity’s Mastcam has one telephoto lens and one wide-angle lens. Images are taken through each and can be combined to produce stereo views. But the wide-angle lens takes in far more of the landscape in a single shot than the telescopic one; it requires up to nine telescopic images to match.

Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z simplifies matters, zooming both lenses until they match and can be used to make a single 3D image. This is both easier and requires sending fewer images – and less data – to Earth.

Eyes of a Scientist

Besides providing a stereo view to help drivers choose the safest path, Mastcam-Z will help geologists choose scientific targets and better understand the landscape that rock samples are found in: Did they fall from a neighboring cliffside? Are they from an ancient stream?

Mastcam-Z will provide “superhuman vision,” viewing the landscape in a variety of colors (wavelengths of light), including some that can’t be detected by the human eye. Scanning the terrain in the ultraviolet or infrared, for example, could reveal metal meteorites dotting the surface or color variations indicating compositions that warrant more detailed analysis by other instruments.

Mastcam-Z isn’t a spectrometer, which is to say, an instrument that uses light to do detailed scientific analysis. “But it can provide mineral clues that other instruments will follow up on,” Bell said.

The camera system can also observe the Sun and sky, watching for transits of Mars’ moons across the Sun and measuring how dust storms and cloud formations change over the seasons.

Mars for the People

Bell’s first experience with Mars pictures was as an 11-year-old, watching images on the nightly TV news sent back by the Viking landers in 1976. He was later involved in the Mars Pathfinder mission and went on to lead the Pancam systems on the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which inspired a new generation of Mars fanatics, including future scientists and engineers.

The vistas that Perseverance will send back from its landing site, Jezero Crater, will be just as significant for those who work on the mission and everyone who’s following along.

That’s why there are plans to share Mastcam-Z images and mosaics made by the amateur community on a public website. “It’s important that the public have a sense of ownership,” Bell said. “The Mastcam-Z images belong to all of us.”

Perseverance is a robotic scientist weighing about 2,260 pounds (1,025 kilograms). The rover’s astrobiology mission will search for signs of past microbial life. It will characterize the planet’s climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. No matter what day Perseverance launches during its July 17-Aug. 5 launch period, it will land at Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration plans.

For more information about the Perseverance rover:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance

News Media Contact

Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-2433 andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Alana Johnson NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1501 alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

source https://scienceblog.com/516063/nasas-perseverance-rover-will-look-at-mars-through-these-eyes/