Mars Perseverance Rover

Mars Perseverance Rover

Perseverance rover is sometimes referred to as "Persy". It is about the size of a car, ~10-feet long, 9-feet wide, and 7-feet tall (~3m x 2.7m, x 2.2m), and weighs a bit over 1,000 kg. Some parts of the Mars 2020 mission was based on the successful Mars Science Laboratory mission that delivered the Curiosity rover to Mars where it has been exploring since August 2012.

Perseverance launched on July 30, 2020 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Its target landing site was Jezero Crater.

Perseverance was protected in the spacecraft during the transport from Earth to Mars. The spacecraft was composed of the cruise stage that supported the whole vehicle during the 7-month cruise to Mars; the descent stage that had 8 engines to slow the final descent and carry the rover to the surface. The rover was lowered on cables that placed it on the surface gently, upright and on its wheels. The backshell had thrusters that fired to guide the rover through entry, descent, and landing (EDL). A heat shield protected the rover from the atmosphere during the descent to Mars.

Find out more about Perseverance trip from Earth to Mars on the Mars2020 page at Astra's Stargate - or - go to Reaching the Red Planet on this page.

Perseverance rover science objectives:

Perseverance is seeking signs of possible past microbial life in Mars' ancient habitable environments. It will find and study the type of rocks that can preserve signs of that life. Perseverance will be collecting rock and soil samples and storing them on the Martian surface. Perseverance is also testing the Martian atmosphere for the ability to produce oxygen that will enable human survival on the red planet.

Perseverance will be studying Jezero Crater, considered a good place to search for signs of life. Billions of years ago, the crater basin was a lake that was being supplied by a river. The river was forming a delta and the result of that process can still be seen today. The rock and soil that Perseverance’s samples at Jezero could help answer questions about the existence of life beyond Earth. In future missions it is planned to bring the samples back to Earth for in-depth study by scientists on Earth using equipment that is too large and complex for a rover to carry to Mars.

The image of Jezero Crater's delta was taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows the delta made of sediments that were carried by an ancient river. Instruments on MRO have shown that water has altered some of the sediments in the crater so perhaps there is still water below the surface.

Jezero crater is located on Isidus Planitia, located near the well-known martian feature of Syrtis Major. Jezero crater is 45km in size, so it will not be easily seen on the small image that shows the crater in a small section of the USGS map of Mars.

Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will collect samples that will be retrieved from Mars by future Mars missions that are being developed. Percy will drill core samples from ~30 locations that have promising rock and soil (called regolith) targets. Those samples will be cached on the surface awaiting pick-up.

Because so much of Percy's task on Mars is devoted to the study of rock and regolith, it is easy to think of the rover as a geologist, but that is not the only purpose it will fulfill on Mars. The rover will also try to produce oxygen from the carbon dioxide gas that makes up the Martian atmosphere.

The rover carries a small helicopter on its belly called "Ingenuity". The Mars Helicopter is a technology demonstration — it is a test, attempting the first powered flight on the red planet.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

Ingenuity helicopter is small, only 19 inches high and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg). It is topped with a solar panel and can recharge without help from the rover. It has its own wireless communication system that enables commands from Earth to be relayed to it through the Perserverance rover. Because of its remarkable performance, the helicopter was affectionately known as "Ginny". Unfortunately, it didn't quite make it to the three-year anniversary that will occur on February 18, 2024.

Because Ingenuity is so small, it demonstrated miniaturized flying technology. All the systems on the helicopter are smaller versions of the full-size equipment we use on Earth. NASA has shrunk down onboard computers, electronics and other parts so that the helicopter is light enough to take off from the martian surface. Don't underestimate the value of this small technology demonstration, miniaturizing components and figuring out the physics of flight on Mars are not easy tasks.

Once Perseverance was on the surface of Mars and NASA mission controllers decided to release Ingenuity from the belly of the rover they detached a protective shield. Next, Ingenuity was flipped to an upright position and the landing legs were unlocked. Then the helicopter was released from the rover. The rover moved away and Ingenuity's solar panel charged in the martian sun providing power.

Ingenuity could spin up its rotor blades for the first time although it did not take off right away. Ingenuity survived the cold martian nights during its preflight checkout and the team continued testing. (Nights on Mars are -130 degrees Fahrenheit, or -90 degrees Celsius.) Ingenuity's original mission was indended to last 31 Earth days, with the helicopter performing experimental flights on Mars. Its flights were an astounding success and Ingenuity helicopter proved that controlled flight can be achieved on Mars. This means that future Mars missions can add an aerial dimension to their explorations on the red planet.

Why did NASA send a helicopter to Mars?

It is difficult to fly on Mars as airplanes and helicopters do on Earth. Mars' thin atmosphere makes it hard to achieve enough lift. The atmosphere on Mars is 99% less dense than Earth's, so Ingenuity is light and its rotor blades are much larger and spin much faster than is necessary on Earth. Ingenuity is a flight demonstration that will help scientists and engineers to meet the challenge of flight on Mars.

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Ingenuity's Last Fatal Flight

When NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson, announced the end of Ingenuity's mission on January 25, 2024, he called Ingenuity, "the little helicopter that could." The helicopter had been keeping up with Perseverance, sometimes scouting ahead so that rover drivers could anticipate the upcoming terrain.

Ingenuity survived the communication blackout during the planet Mars' conjunction with the Sun in December 2023, rising to fly again on January 6, 2024. Ingenuity was damaged on the second flight it made this year. Although this fantastic technology demonstration was only enlisted to perform 5 flights in Mars' thin atmosphere, Ingenuity completed 72 flights. Ingenuity's mission ended on January 18, 2024 after a 32-second flight. Ingenuity sent data to Perseverance indicating that during the flight it climbed to its assigned maximum altitude of 40 feet (12 meters). During descent communications between the helicopter and rover broke down and when restored, Ginny sent back a sad image. The image of its own shadow showed that at least one blade was badly damaged. Ingenuity, the first vehicle that proved flight was possible on another solar system planet, would no longer rise again to tag along with the Mars 2020 Rover, Perseverance.

The record set by the little helicopter that could was 72 flights, for a total of ~129 minutes of flight, rising up 24 meters on its highest altitude, it maximum ground speed was 24 mph, and it flew 11 miles or 17 kilometers.

Check the NASA website for Ingenuity's flight log.

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