NASA successfully launched Perseverance rover to Mars
NASA successfully launched its new Mars rover named Perseverance into space which will reach Mars within six months.
The successful launch took place using a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Kennedy Space Center located in Florida.
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| Image-Perseverance rover |
Perseverance -New age rover
The new age rover's mission will be NASA's fifth Mars rover to land on Mars if the mission is successful.
Perseverance is very unique and first of its kind due to several reasons.
The reasons which makes Perseverance so special is as follows -
1.Its enormous size - almost the size of a modern day car.
2. Capability of taking autonomous decision -The rover will be like an self driving car.
3. The first rover to feature a microphone which will be capable of capturing sounds when the rover will descent to the surface.
4. It will be first rover to contain a camera with zoom functionality.
5. The rover is the first one to be powered by American plutonium.
6.The most unique feature of all is that the rover will carry an super lightweight helicopter which will be first extraterrestrial aircraft.
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| Image-Perseverance components |
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| Image- Super light weight helicopter in Perseverance rover |
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| Image-Perseverance rover testing |
Mission of Perseverance rover
The primary mission of the rover will be to collect Mars dirt samples to study possible signs of ancient life hidden in Mars soil.
The rover will use different kinds of laser to blast Mars rock. If it notices anything promising it will use coring drill and collect sample and store it in the rover. The soil samples collected by thee rover will be taken back to Earth by other robotic mission in the future and is expected to take place within this decade.
Apart from that it will also test the first space suit samples meant to be used on another planet environment which is quite different from Earth's environment.
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| Image-Model of orbiting container for collecting samples |
Aeroshell
The rover will stay safe in an white envelope which has a design similar to that of a UFO.
Lockheed Martin built the aeroshell. The company's aeroshell design has a history of taking all of NASA's rover's to Mars safely. The aeroshell will be made of two main parts or shell heat shield and back shell.
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| Image-Lockheed Martin Aeroshell |
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| Image-Aeroshell-heat shield (yellow) and back shell (white) |
The Landing
Landing of aeroshell on Mars surface is the most tough part of the mission since the rover will enter the Martian atmosphere at a speed of 10,000 miles per hour and it will be exposed to temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the rover capsule is about 7 miles from the Mars surface a parachute will be deployed which will decrease the speed of the descending payload.
After the clearing of heat shield on the spacecraft rover will detach itself and will free fall onto Mars surface.
After reaching a desired altitude the rover will slow itself by the deployment of a hovercraft on which it is rested.
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| Image-Parachute used in rover landing |
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| Image-Rover landing step wise representation |
Last Mars mission of the summer
Apart form this ambitious mission to Mars there were other two Mars missions one from China and from UAE.
As per the officials these mission was carried out to take the advantage of less distance between earth and Mars which takes place once every 26 months.
Perseverance rover mission was the last of its kind in this summer season.
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