While the Marsman Perseverance mission is progressing well, Curiosity, which has been operating on the red planet since 2012, doesn’t want to be left out of the spotlight either.
On February 18th, a red probe called NASA’s Mars 2020 arrived at the red planet. This carried Martian persistence, which could help humanity take another step in exploring the red planet and space. The main target of the mission is astrobiology, and experts say, we may soon have the first evidence of extraterrestrial life.
From the pre-landing period Also follow hirado.hu the path of perseverance, and now we present the highlights of the past weeks.
In preparation for the experiments, on March 13th, a cover plate was placed to protect the sampling unit by Mars. This liberated the system in which the rock samples collected and stored would be examined.
A quick-looking mosaic my team collected from the abdominal pelvis, now on Mars. Next is to check my sampling system now that its cover plate is off.
More photos: https://t.co/9X891PBvax pic.twitter.com/nInhndskLO
– NASA’s Perseverance on Mars (@ NASAPersevere) March 13, 2021
A total of 43 of these reservoirs were transported by Perseverance to Mars. When preparing the storage tubes, it was extremely difficult to place them on Mars completely clean and sterile, as this was the only way to ensure that no ground contaminants appeared in their samples upon their return.
Particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness and sterilization of the tubes containing rock samples on the ground (Image: NASA)
Perseverance examines the rocks in his stomach, then collects rock samples, and finally places them on the surface in a specific place so that later they can collect tubes and take them to the ground. This is necessary because although Mars has certain tools, it can make more detailed investigations on Earth. The following animation illustrates the sampling process:
This week, I am checking out the tools I’ll be using to achieve one of my main goals: to collect and store specimens that a future mission can bring back to Earth. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/GdOXeA15mv
– NASA’s Perseverance on Mars (@ NASAPersevere) March 17, 2021
Also the most exciting developments in recent weeks and the upcoming period in the March 2020 mission To humanity’s first extraterrestrial structure, They were related to creativity. Preparations for the Martian helicopter flight are progressing well.
On March 21, the protective shield installed at the bottom of Mars, which had been protecting creativity during the descent, was discontinued.
A shield that protects the Martian helicopter after being shut down (Image: NASA)
By March 31, the helicopter was ready to land on the surface. All four legs are already in the correct position. Soon you’ll be subtly landing, or as NASA from American football calls it, a touch touchdown.
Dexterity before emerging (Image: NASA)
Finally, another Martian specialty. Currently, persistent activity is not limited to the red planet, but the Curiosity Martian rover, which landed in 2012, already has 3,076 Mars days on April 1, which equates to 3,160 Earth days. To keep the news reaching beyond perseverance, on March 30th, NASA released a selfie created by Curiosity. Pictured is the march in front of the six-meter-high Cliff Monte Merco.
Of course, many people may wonder how to take such a picture? The answer is a composite image, meaning it is made up of images taken by a camera Curiosity on March 26th. 60 images were taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the rover’s robotic arm, which was combined with 11 photos taken on March 16 by the Mastcam camera on the “head” Mars. This also explains why the composite image is so huge at the original image size, 100 MB, 21,969 times 14,501 pixels.
Selfie by Curiosity (Image: NASA)
Of particular interest is that on the left side of the portrait is the part where Mars previously examined a rocky pattern called “Nontron”. At NASA, rocks examined during missions are given different names, for example, more were named in American Indian languages, and Nontron was named after a village in southwestern France.
Our previous articles on the mission of perseverance:
We may soon have official evidence of extraterrestrial life
We present the first device in human history to fly on another planet
Parts of the March 2020 spacecraft and the landing operation
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission was a success, as persevering Mars landed safely!
The first high-quality panoramic image of Mars has arrived
Here you can hear the roar of the winds of Mars
Cover photo: NASA
