NASA is about to attempt one of the most difficult space flight feats ever:
Landing the Perseverance rover — and its tiny helicopter — safely on Mars.
Perseverance launched last July.
It arrives at Mars today at 3:48 pm ET. Want to watch & listen?
pscp.tv/NASA/1PlJQPZqL…
Landing the Perseverance rover — and its tiny helicopter — safely on Mars.
Perseverance launched last July.
It arrives at Mars today at 3:48 pm ET. Want to watch & listen?
pscp.tv/NASA/1PlJQPZqL…
2/ Perseverance arrives at Mars at a blazing 12,000 mph.
7 minutes later, in a remarkable ballet of aeronautics, spaceflight & engineering, a rover needs to settle gently, at 0 mph, onto the surface.
What happens during that 7 minutes?
Great explainer:
washingtonpost.com/science/intera…
7 minutes later, in a remarkable ballet of aeronautics, spaceflight & engineering, a rover needs to settle gently, at 0 mph, onto the surface.
What happens during that 7 minutes?
Great explainer:
washingtonpost.com/science/intera…
3/ Perseverance...
• Deploys a parachute
…But Mars' atmosphere is only 1% as dense at Earth's — thick enough to cause heat, not thick enough for a true 'parachute' landing
• Jetisons parachute & navigates to landing area
…Perseverance has preloaded maps, radar & AI
• Deploys a parachute
…But Mars' atmosphere is only 1% as dense at Earth's — thick enough to cause heat, not thick enough for a true 'parachute' landing
• Jetisons parachute & navigates to landing area
…Perseverance has preloaded maps, radar & AI
4/ …so Perseverance will navigate itself to the landing area
• Fire 8 retrorockets that will slow & stabilize the spaceship as it approaches Mars' surface
• Most amazing of all: Perseverance will hover over Mars at 65 feet & lower the rover on cables — 'skycrane' style.
• Fire 8 retrorockets that will slow & stabilize the spaceship as it approaches Mars' surface
• Most amazing of all: Perseverance will hover over Mars at 65 feet & lower the rover on cables — 'skycrane' style.
5/ Landing is expected at 3:55 pm ET.
But here's the thing: Mars is so far away, that everything is happening on Mars 11 minutes before the radio signal information reaches Earth.
It takes 11 minutes for the radio signals to travel back to Earth, at the speed of light.
But here's the thing: Mars is so far away, that everything is happening on Mars 11 minutes before the radio signal information reaches Earth.
It takes 11 minutes for the radio signals to travel back to Earth, at the speed of light.
6/ So, of course: Mars Perseverance is in charge. You can't give instructions to a spaceship traveling 12,000 mph with a 'roundtrip' signal time of 22 minutes.
Perseverance has been built, programmed & tested for years, & months enroute. But the ship runs its own landing.
Perseverance has been built, programmed & tested for years, & months enroute. But the ship runs its own landing.
7/ All those incredible steps — heatshield, parachute, jettison of both, navigation, hover, skycrane landing — have to work perfectly.
Odds? US is 6 for 7 with Mars landing probes.
The world's spacefaring nations have done less well: Just 50% of probes have landed successfully.
Odds? US is 6 for 7 with Mars landing probes.
The world's spacefaring nations have done less well: Just 50% of probes have landed successfully.
8/ NASA calls Perseverance an astrobiology mission — one of the key goals of the rover and its helicopter, Ingenuity, is to search for signs of life.
Perseverance is landing in a crater that is part of a dried lake bed, with the fossil remnants of a river running through it.
Perseverance is landing in a crater that is part of a dried lake bed, with the fossil remnants of a river running through it.
9/ Here's what the landing area and the river delta area look like...
https://twitter.com/ThePlanetaryGuy/status/1362176614327586816?s=20
10/ And that cool helicopter, Ingenuity?
It's just 1 part of the mission (which includes testing some techniques humans will need to use to visit Mars).
Ingenuity is a sophisticated, tiny drone.
4 pounds. Fuselage the size of a Kleenex box.
nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-…
It's just 1 part of the mission (which includes testing some techniques humans will need to use to visit Mars).
Ingenuity is a sophisticated, tiny drone.
4 pounds. Fuselage the size of a Kleenex box.
nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-…
11/ In real time, right now, Perseverance is reporting all systems go — 2 minutes before re-entry begins.
(In fact, of course, the ship is blazing through the atmosphere now — we're just getting the news 11 minutes after the fact.)
(In fact, of course, the ship is blazing through the atmosphere now — we're just getting the news 11 minutes after the fact.)
12/ Mastering that 11-minute delay in radio travel time is the key to successful Mars missions, by the way.
Astronauts will need to be independent, autonomous. They will control their own missions.
Houston will be 'mission guidance' not 'mission control.'
Astronauts will need to be independent, autonomous. They will control their own missions.
Houston will be 'mission guidance' not 'mission control.'
13/ That's a huge shift for NASA, which the space agency really hasn't begun to grapple with in real space missions — outside of robotic ones.
13/ Perseverance doing 'bank reversals' to control its navigation. All systems still being reported as normal.
70,400 people viewing NASA's live-stream of the landing in real time.
70,400 people viewing NASA's live-stream of the landing in real time.
13/ Successful parachute deployment confirmed — brings a round of applause from the NASA staff at JPL.
Cameras about to be turned on so we can watch as the spacecraft approaches the surface.
Cameras about to be turned on so we can watch as the spacecraft approaches the surface.
14/ Confirmation that the Perseverance lander has 'produced a valid landing solution.'
It can see the surface, understand it, and do the maneuvers necessary to get to the surface.
More applause.
It can see the surface, understand it, and do the maneuvers necessary to get to the surface.
More applause.
15/ 'Skycrane maneuver has started. About 20 meters off the surface.'
That's incredible. A US spaceship is hovering over the surface of Mars!
That's incredible. A US spaceship is hovering over the surface of Mars!
16/ 'Touchdown confirmed!'
Perseverance has landed safely and successfully on Mars.
Big cheers at JPL — and well-earned cheers. And incredible engineering, spaceflight, computer science achievement.
Perseverance has landed safely and successfully on Mars.
Big cheers at JPL — and well-earned cheers. And incredible engineering, spaceflight, computer science achievement.
17/ JPL mission control staff in masks, giving themselves a standing ovation.
'Stand by. We may be receiving images.'
'Stand by. We may be receiving images.'
18/ A US spaceship has touched down in an ancient Martian river delta, to search for signs of ancient life.
Successful landing, during the pandemic.
Successful landing, during the pandemic.
19/ Here is the first picture from Perseverance on the surface... Looks comforting familiar. That's Mars!
https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1362507436611956736?s=20
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