NASA's research robot 'Perseverance' has reached Mars safely and has sent a picture of the surface of Mars to Earth. This mission landed on Mars at 3:55 p.m EST on Thursday. The successful landing of the mission is another major achievement for the US space agency. NASA has so far successfully landed nine of its 10 research missions on Mars.
Last Christmas, NASA released a trailer for the space mission "Perseverance". In this trailer, all the important stages of the landing of the Perseverance Mars spacecraft were explained. NASA insiders called these stages as "seven minutes of terror." The slightest mistake during this time was enough to destroy the whole project.
The opening of the parachute in seven minutes, the descent from the force and the role of the sky crane were crucial, which brought Perseverance down to the rocky surface of Mars.
Minutes after landing on the surface of Mars, Perseverance sent a black and white image to Earth, to applause from NASA's mission control. NASA has also equipped the Perseverance robot with a microphone and is expected to record the moment of landing on the planet.
The first of the 12 stages was about the spacecraft entering Martian space and the last stage was touchdown. But on one occasion, Mars had to endure the intense heat generated by air friction, because that heat was enough to burn the entire circuit of the fragile spacecraft. This step was the most important for the NASA control room.
The mission spans two years, during which it will investigate whether life has ever existed on Mars. During its search, the robot will collect samples from the surface of the red planet and store them in 43 sample tubes.
Before receiving these samples, NASA will spend several weeks making sure that the Perseverance systems are working properly. The US space agency plans to send another mission to Mars in January 2030.
In a congratulatory message, US President Joe Biden said, "Today, it has been proven once again that with the power of science and the skill of Americans, nothing is out of the question."
This time, the Perseverance Mission is specifically designed for astronomical research. Its special instruments will try to find any old microorganisms or organelles in the red soil of Mars. It will explore some of the oldest traces of the Martian climate and eventually pave the way for human adventures.
The Perseverance has a two-year mission, but on Mars it will be one year. According to a NASA female expert, the rover is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and its main goal is to consider the possibility of human survival on Mars. But for the first time in Perseverance, a helicopter has been sent to Mars. Thus, for the first time in human history, a helicopter will fly in Martian space and survey the surface of Mars slightly faster than a slow-moving spacecraft.
Although the helicopter will not be used in research, it will pave the way for further Mars projects. The high definition camera on it will send us more amazing pictures of Mars.
It should be noted that this is the first NASA project that will also collect soil and rock samples from the surface of Mars and in the future they will be brought to Earth.
Thank you for reading! Stay Safe!👋😌
References:
1- https://newssplinter.com/bulgariaeng/nasa-perseverance-spacecraft-successfully-lands-on-mars-looking-for-traces-of-life-our-lives-features/
2-https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/320125-nasas-perseverance-rover-successfully-lands-on-mars