NASA's science vehicle Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world, streaked through the Martian atmosphere on Thursday and landed safely on the floor of a vast crater, as Janice and I watched events unfold in real time. We joined the NASA channel on Youtube in real time, just as the notorious "seven minutes of terror" had begun. That designation owing to the final minutes during which the craft had to decelerate from hundreds of kilometers per second, to a few then zero. But JPL engineer and flight controller Swati Mohan had the dynamics well in hand when she announced final touchdown on the Martian surface. This quickly followed up by the image of the landing area shown above.
Mission managers at the jet propulsion laboratory burst into applause and cheers as radio signals confirmed that the six-wheeled rover had survived its perilous descent and arrived within its target zone inside Jezero crater, the site of a long-vanished Martian lake bed.
The robotic vehicle had sailed through space for nearly seven months, covering 293 million miles before piercing the Martian atmosphere at 12,000mph (19,000km/h) to begin its approach to touchdown on the planet’s surface.
The self-guided descent and landing during a complex series of maneuvers had been dubbed “the seven minutes of terror” and stands as the most elaborate and challenging feat in the annals of robotic spaceflight. With successful touchdown at the end of the 7 minutes, engineer Swati Mohan announced:
“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking signs of past life,”
As a second round of cheers and applause erupted in the control room - as the images of the surface arrived - Janice looked at me and remarked: "That is one smart woman!" I told her of that there was no doubt, adding: "She's definitely Mensa material and maybe Intertel too."
As evident from the top image, the scene was partially obscured by a dust cover. It is a view from one of the Perseverance’s hazard cameras, showing the flat, rocky surface of the Jezero crater.
Perseverance is full of firsts. The first ever search for signs of ancient life on Mars. The first helicopter ("Ingenuity") to fly on another planet. The first recordings of sound on the red planet. These "firsts" aside, the craft - about the size of a small car- will have a packed agenda the next few years. The plans include exploring the Jezero crater - the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago. It will also search for micro-fossils in the rocks and soil.
As for the Ingenuity helicopter excursions, these will be limited at first, especially as the aerodynamics still need to be tested in the thin Martian air (only about 1 percent the density of Earth's). To compensate for the thin air, the mini chopper will spin its rotor blades at thousands of times per minute in order to generate a Bernoulli (lift) effect, Plans are to have the bird fly no more than 70 m or so for the first few junkets.
Meanwhile, most space junkies are looking forward to having the first pristine samples of Martian soil and rocks returned to Earth- sometime in the 2030s. According to Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate:
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