{"id":11708,"date":"2020-06-17T21:20:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T21:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/?p=11708"},"modified":"2020-06-19T20:32:13","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T20:32:13","slug":"meet-nasas-mars-rover-perseverance-launching-summer-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/meet-nasas-mars-rover-perseverance-launching-summer-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet NASA&#8217;s Mars Rover, Perseverance, Launching Summer 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Lyle Tavernier (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/edu\/news\/2020\/6\/17\/meet-nasas-next-mars-rover-perseverance-launching-this-summer\/?sahdsh&amp;utm_source=iContact&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=nasajpl-edu&amp;utm_content=edunews_20200617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NASA\/JPL<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Perseverance, NASA&#8217;s most advanced Mars rover yet, is scheduled to leave Earth for its seven-month journey to the Red Planet this summer.<\/p>\n<p>Only the fifth NASA rover destined for Mars,\u00a0Perseverance is designed to build on the work and scientific discoveries of its predecessors. Find out more about the rover&#8217;s science goals and new technologies below. Plus, learn how you can bring the exciting engineering and science of this mission to students with lessons and DIY projects covering topics like biology, geology, physics, mathematics, engineering, coding and language arts.<\/p>\n<h3>Why It&#8217;s Important<\/h3>\n<p>Perseverance may look similar to Curiosity \u2013 the NASA rover that&#8217;s been exploring Mars since 2012 \u2013 but the latest rover&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/spacecraft\/instruments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new science instruments<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/spacecraft\/rover\/cameras\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">upgraded cameras<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/spacecraft\/rover\/brains\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">improved onboard computers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0new landing technologies make it uniquely capable of accomplishing the science goals planned for the mission.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11709\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11709\" style=\"width: 702px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11709 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-1024x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"702\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-600x339.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-450x254.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-1200x677.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/25045_Perseverance_Mars_Rover_Instrument_Labels-web.jpg 1402w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11709\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram of the Perseverance Mars rover&#8217;s science instruments. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Looking for signs of habitability<\/h4>\n<p>The first of the rover&#8217;s four science goals deals with studying the habitability of Mars. The mission is designed to look for environments that could have supported life in the past.<\/p>\n<p>Perseverance will land in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/mission\/science\/landing-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jezero Crater<\/a>, a 28-mile-wide (45-kilometer-wide) crater that scientists believe was once filled with water. Data from orbiters at the Red Planet suggest that water once flowed into the crater, carrying clay minerals from the surrounding area, depositing them in the crater and forming a delta. We find similar conditions on Earth, where the right combination of water and minerals can support life. By comparing these to the conditions we find on Mars, we can better understand the Red Planet&#8217;s ability to support life. The Perseverance rover is specially designed to study the habitability of Mars&#8217; Jezero Crater using a suite of scientific instruments, or tools, that can evaluate the environment and the processes that influence it.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Mars 2020 Landing Site: Jezero Crater Flyover\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qnZ_sidmr4Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Seeking signs of ancient life<\/h4>\n<p>The rover&#8217;s second science goal is closely linked with its first: Perseverance will seek out evidence that microbial life once existed on Mars in the past. In doing so, the mission could make progress in understanding the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe \u2013 the scientific field known as astrobiology.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that the rover won&#8217;t be looking for present-day life. Instead, its instruments are designed to look for clues left behind by ancient life. We call those clues biosignatures. A biosignature might be a pattern, object or substance that was created by life in the past and can be identified by certain properties, such as chemical composition, mineralogy or structure.<\/p>\n<p>To better understand if a possible biosignature is really a clue left behind by ancient life, we need to look for biosignatures\u00a0and\u00a0study the habitability of the environment. Discovering that an environment is habitable does not automatically mean life existed there and some geologic processes can leave behind biosignature-like signs in non-habitable environments.<\/p>\n<h4>Collecting samples<\/h4>\n<p>Perseverance&#8217;s third science goal is to gather samples of Martian rocks and soil. The rover will leave the samples on Mars, where future missions could collect them and bring them back to Earth for further study.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists can learn a lot about Mars with a rover like Perseverance that can take in situ (Latin for &#8220;on-site&#8221;) measurements. But examining samples from Mars in full-size laboratories on Earth can provide far more information about whether life ever existed on Mars than studying them on the Martian surface.<\/p>\n<p>Perseverance will take the first step toward making a future sample return possible. The rover is equipped with special coring drill bits that will collect scientifically interesting samples similar in size to a piece of chalk. Each sample will be capped and sealed in individual collection tubes. The tubes will be stored aboard the rover until the mission team determines the best strategic locations on the planet&#8217;s surface to leave them. The collection tubes will stay on the Martian surface until a potential future campaign collects them for return to Earth. NASA and the European Space Agency are solidifying concepts for the missions that will complete this campaign.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11710\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11710\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11710\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-300x151.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-600x302.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-1024x515.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-1536x773.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-150x75.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-450x226.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-1200x604.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-768x386.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web-474x240.jpg 474w, https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/22530_PIA23302-web.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11710\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This artist&#8217;s concept depicts astronauts and human habitats on Mars. The Perseverance Mars rover will carry a number of technologies that could pave the way for astronauts to explore Mars. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Preparing for future astronauts<\/h4>\n<p>Like the robotic spacecraft that landed on the Moon to prepare for the Apollo astronauts, the Perseverance rover&#8217;s fourth science goal will help pave the way for humans to eventually visit Mars.<\/p>\n<p>Before humans can set foot on the Red Planet, we need to know more about conditions there and demonstrate that technologies needed for returning to Earth, and survival, will work. That\u2019s where MOXIE comes in. Short for Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, MOXIE is designed to separate oxygen from carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2<\/sub>) in Mars&#8217; atmosphere. The atmosphere that surrounds the Red Planet is 96% CO<sub>2<\/sub>. But there&#8217;s very little oxygen \u2013 only 0.13%, compared with the 21% in Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>Oxygen is a crucial ingredient in rocket fuel and is essential for human survival. MOXIE could show how similar systems sent to Mars ahead of astronauts could generate rocket fuel to bring astronauts back to Earth and even create oxygen for breathing.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Crazy Engineering: Making Oxygen on Mars with MOXIE\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7rzu7TTkIMA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Flying the first Mars helicopter<\/h4>\n<p>Joining the Perseverance rover on Mars is the first helicopter designed to fly on another planet. Dubbed Ingenuity, the Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration that will be the first test of powered flight on another planet.<\/p>\n<p>The lightweight helicopter rides to Mars attached to the belly of the rover. After Perseverance is on Mars, the helicopter will be released from the rover and will attempt up to five test flights in the thin atmosphere of Mars. After a successful first attempt at lifting off, hovering a few feet above the ground for 20 to 30 seconds and landing, the operations team can attempt incrementally higher and longer-distance flights. Ingenuity is designed to fly for up to 90 seconds, reach an altitude of 15 feet and travel a distance of nearly 980 feet. Sending commands to the helicopter and receiving information about the flights relayed through the rover, the helicopter team hopes to collect valuable test data about how the vehicle performs in Mars\u2019 thin atmosphere. The results of the Mars Helicopter&#8217;s test flights will help inform the development of future vehicles that could one day explore Mars from the air. Once Ingenuity has completed its technology demonstration, Perseverance will continue its mission on the surface of the Red Planet.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Crazy Engineering: Mars Helicopter\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vpBsFzjyRO8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>How It Works<\/h3>\n<p>Before any of that can happen, the Perseverance Mars rover needs to successfully lift off from Earth and begin its journey to the Red Planet. Here&#8217;s how the launch is designed to ensure that the spacecraft and Mars are at the same place on landing day.<\/p>\n<p>About every 26 months, Mars and Earth are at points in their orbits around the Sun that allow us to launch spacecraft to Mars most efficiently. This span of time, called a launch period, lasts several weeks. For Perseverance, the launch period is targeted to begin at 6:15 a.m. PDT on July 20 and end on Aug. 11. Each day, there is a launch window lasting about two hours. If all conditions are good, we have liftoff! If there&#8217;s a little too much wind or other inclement weather, or perhaps engineers want to take a look at something on the rocket during the window, the countdown can be paused, and teams will try again the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of when Perseverance launches during this period, the rover will land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, at around 12:30 PST. Engineers can maintain this fixed landing date because when the rover launches, it will go into what&#8217;s called a parking orbit around Earth. Depending on when the launch happens, the rover will coast in the temporary parking orbit for 24 to 36 minutes. Then, the upper stage of the rocket will ignite for about seven minutes, giving the spacecraft the velocity it needs to reach Mars.<\/p>\n<p>Like the Curiosity rover, Perseverance will launch from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on an Atlas V 541 rocket \u2013 one of the most powerful rockets available for interplanetary spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p>Watch a live broadcast of the launch from the Kennedy Space Center on NASA TV and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">agency\u2019s website<\/a>. Visit the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/timeline\/launch\/watch-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Perseverance rover mission website<\/a>\u00a0to explore a full listing of related virtual events and programming, including education workshops, news briefings and conversations with mission experts. Follow launch updates on NASA&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/nasa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/nasa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nasa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a> accounts.<\/p>\n<p>###<\/p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/edu\/news\/2020\/6\/17\/meet-nasas-next-mars-rover-perseverance-launching-this-summer\/?sahdsh&amp;utm_source=iContact&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=nasajpl-edu&amp;utm_content=edunews_20200617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Original Source<\/a>, archived here for reference)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lyle Tavernier (NASA\/JPL) Perseverance, NASA&#8217;s most advanced Mars rover yet, is scheduled to leave Earth for its seven-month journey to the Red Planet this summer. Only the fifth NASA rover destined for Mars,\u00a0Perseverance is designed to build on the work and scientific discoveries of its predecessors. Find out more about the rover&#8217;s science goals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11708","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"category-space"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/6-17-2020-2-19-38-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theblackvault.com\/documentarchive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}