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THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER LANDS ON MARS TODAY!
Here's what you need to know, including links to details and where to watch live. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/perseverance-lands-on-mars-today-heres-what-you-need-to-know
THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER LANDS ON MARS TODAY!
Here's what you need to know, including links to details and where to watch live. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/perseverance-lands-on-mars-today-heres-what-you-need-to-know
2/ The signal from the rover saying it's down should arrive at Earth at 20:55 UTC (3:55 p.m.) after taking 11m 22s to travel the 204 million km from Mars.
But it has a few things on its roster to do in the minutes before that point…
But it has a few things on its roster to do in the minutes before that point…
3/ It will slam into the upper atmosphere of Mars at 20,000 kph (much faster than it's going right now; Mars's gravity will speed it up). Its heat shield will protect it for the brutal six minutes it slows to about 1,500 kph.
4/ Then a 22-meter parachute designed for supsersonic use will deploy, slowing it much further. Seconds later the heat shield will fall away, and a navigation system will look around to find a safe place to land, matching what it sees against data stored in memory.
5/ At 2 km up and dropping at 300 kph, the parachute and backshell (that attaches the 'chute to the rover) will detach. That's when the ROCKET SKY CRANE fires its engines, slowing things down further. At 20 meters above the ground, it will begin to lower the rover down va cables.
6/ I mean, COME ON.
A ROCKET POWERED SKY CRANE.
Wile E. Coyote would be proud. But then, we know this works! It did with Curiosity, which used very nearly the exact same system. Perseverance is heavier, though, so it's more difficult this time.
A ROCKET POWERED SKY CRANE.
Wile E. Coyote would be proud. But then, we know this works! It did with Curiosity, which used very nearly the exact same system. Perseverance is heavier, though, so it's more difficult this time.
7/ Once down, the crane will detach and fly safely away from the rover.
And Perseverance will be sitting on the surface of Mars.
Mars. Another *planet*. And then its mission will begin.
To seek out new life…
And Perseverance will be sitting on the surface of Mars.
Mars. Another *planet*. And then its mission will begin.
To seek out new life…
8/ Well, OLD life. It will look for evidence that mars may have been once not only been habitable but inhabited, perhaps by microbes eons ago.
It will land in the 50-km-wide Jezero crater, which was once a massive lake. Minerals known to be there form in water.
It will land in the 50-km-wide Jezero crater, which was once a massive lake. Minerals known to be there form in water.
9/ Plus, I mean, LOOK at it. That's a sediment delta to the upper left, where incoming water deposited silt into the lake bed. It's one of the best places to look for ancient life on Mars. The rover will land somewhere inside that ellipse.
10/ And think about THAT. The ellipse is 8 km wide. You could bike the length of it (assuming you could breathe) in a half hour easily.
That's the bulls-eye Percy will land in. After traveling *470 MILLION KM*.
The folks who do this are wizards.
That's the bulls-eye Percy will land in. After traveling *470 MILLION KM*.
The folks who do this are wizards.
11/ Here are some links to see cool stuff.
This is where Perseverance is now, c/o NASA's Eyes. It's interactive, so you can play with it. As I write this the rover is moving at just over 10,300 kph relative to Mars.
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/orrery/#/sc_perseverance
This is where Perseverance is now, c/o NASA's Eyes. It's interactive, so you can play with it. As I write this the rover is moving at just over 10,300 kph relative to Mars.
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/orrery/#/sc_perseverance
12/ This is an interactive (pan/scan) map of Jezero crater. You can zoom pretty far in. Lots of hazards there, which is why Percy has an advanced nav system to figure out a safe place to set down. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/where-is-the-rover/
13/ Interactive timeline of the entry, descent, and landing. VERY cool.
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/mars2020/#/home?rate=0&id=cruise_stage_separation
https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/mars2020/#/home?rate=0&id=cruise_stage_separation
14/ I'll be watching live both on NASA TV and The Planetary Society's watch party:
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-offer-spanish-language-show-for-mars-perseverance-rover-landing (Spanish language programming) https://www.planetary.org/watchparty
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-offer-spanish-language-show-for-mars-perseverance-rover-landing (Spanish language programming) https://www.planetary.org/watchparty
15/ There are too many people to list whom you should follow here for commentary, but @elakdawalla is always a good bet. @tweetsoutloud, @NASAPersevere (of course), and @PercyRover if you want some Mars snark in your day, too.
16/ I have so much more to say, but I'll save it for the event. All this info and more is on my blog today, so take a look there. Today is a big day. Let's land on Mars! https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/perseverance-lands-on-mars-today-heres-what-you-need-to-know
