Self-portrait of Mars 2020 containing Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter located at the Ingenuity helicopter drop site (7 April 2021)
Perseverance rover on Mars (artist; 18 February 2021)

The Mars 2020 mission and its rover, Perseverance, and helicopter Ingenuity, were launched from Earth on 30 July 2020. On 15 February 2022, The New York Times reported an overview of Mars 2020 mission events since landing in Jezero crater on Mars in February 2021.[1] As of August 16, 2024, Perseverance has been on the planet Mars for 1241 sols (1275 total days; 3 years, 180 days).

Current weather data on Mars is being monitored by the Curiosity rover and the Insight lander.[2][3] The Perseverance rover is also collecting weather data. (See the External links section)

Overview of mission

First audio captured from the surface of another planet (Sol 1)
Raw audio version. See also the filtered version that has the rover noise removed.
Recording of Martian wind (Sol 4)
First acoustic recording of laser shots on Mars (Sol 12)
Sounds of Perseverance rover driving on the surface of Mars (Sol 16)
Highlights from the 16-minute raw audio processed to reduce noise
Mars helicopter Ingenuity flying on Mars during its 4th flight
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Prelaunch (2012–2020)

Landing and initial tests (February–May 2021)

February 18: a new crater appears on Mars after impact of the 77-kg piece of tungsten thrown down during the EDL stage

After arriving on the 18th of February, Perseverance focused on validating its systems. During this phase, it used its science instruments for the first time,[4] generated oxygen on Mars with MOXIE,[5] and deployed Ingenuity. Ingenuity began the technology demonstration phase of its mission, completing five flights before transitioning to the operations demonstration phase of its mission.

Perseverance's first test drive (4 March 2021)
Rover's first wheel tracks
Rover's first test drive (animation-gif)
Rocket scour and tracks

Cratered floor campaign (June 2021-April 2022)

Perseverance rover - map of the first science campaign (yellow lines, below the landing site). The blue lines above the landing site correspond to the planned second campaign,[16] although the second campaign did not officially start until the arrival of the rover at Three Forks.

The Cratered Floor Campaign was the first science campaign.[17] It began on 1 June 2021, with the goal of exploring the Crater Floor Fractured Rough and Séítah geologic units. To avoid the sand dunes of the Séítah unit, Perseverance will mostly travel within the Crater Floor Fractured Rough geologic unit or along the boundary between the two units. The first of Perseverance's sample tubes are planned to be filled during this expedition.[16]

After collecting the samples, Perseverance will return to its landing site, before continuing to the delta for its second science campaign. At some point, it will store the filled sample tubes in a designated area for the upcoming Mars sample-return mission.[18] While Perseverance embarked on its first science campaign, Ingenuity continued to travel alongside the rover as part of its operations demonstration campaign.[12]

Audio, imagery, and air pressure data acquired when a dust devil passed over the rover.
Entry-descent-landing debris
Ingenuity photographed the spacecraft backshell and parachute (April 19).[46]
Perseverance photographed the spacecraft backshell and parachute (April 14).
Ingenuity photographed an apparent EDL debris (April 3).
Perseverance photographed a thermal blanket from the skycrane 2 km (1.2 mi) away from its crash site.

Delta front campaign (April 2022 - Present)

In blue, the planned traverse of Perseverance. The second science campaign began just before the background map transitions to black and white.

The Delta Front Campaign is the second, currently ongoing science campaign of the Mars 2020 mission. Ingenuity continues to travel alongside the rover as part of its operations demonstration campaign. Once Perseverance traverses to the top of the delta, it is expected to begin the third science campaign - the Delta Top Campaign.[47]

The possible route for second science campaign

Samples cached for the Mars sample-return mission

In the frame of the Mars sample-return mission around 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of soil samples along with some Martian gas samples from the atmosphere will be cached. Currently, samples are being cached by Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover on the surface of Mars. Out of 43 sample tubes, rock sample tubes cached-14,[54] gas sample tubes cached-1,[32] witness tubes cached-3,[24] tubes due to be cached-25. Before launch, 5 of the 43 tubes were designated “witness tubes” and filled with materials that would capture particulates in the ambient environment of Mars.[55]

Mars sample-return mission - Sampling Process
Context
MidView
CloseUp
Sample in drill
Sampling drill
Sample Tube 233
Perseverance Deposits Its First Sample on the Martian Surface
Mapping Perseverance's samples collected to date (The 10 duplicate samples to be left behind at Three Forks Sample Depot are framed in green colour.)
Perseverance at Rochette rock (10 September 2021)
"Rochette" rock − successful borehole sampling of a second rock (1 September 2021)
Perseverance analyzes Rochette rock (August 2021)
After abrading rock
Bellegarde patch
WATSON view
PIXL view

Location and Current Status

Perseverance rover near ancient river delta

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Mars – Perseverance rover – landing site panoramic view (18 February 2021)
Mars – Perseverance rover – EDL overview (18 February 2021)
Mars Helicopter Route Options out of 'Séítah' with EDL hardware

Self-portraits

Mars 2020 rover – Selfie process (animated; 2:04; 6 April 2021)
Mars 2020 in Jezero crater on Mars — self-portraits
Octavia E. Butler Landing
(February 2021)
Wright Brothers Field
(April 2021)
Van Zyl overlook,[a] (April 2021)
Perseverance spotted by Ingenuity on its 11th Flight (August 2021)
Rochette, September 2021

Videos

Images

Perseverance rover on Mars

Ingenuity helicopter's flights on Mars

Flights on Mars – viewed by the Perseverance rover
Ingenuity's first flight
(19 April 2021)
Ingenuity's first flight after 30 secs flying
Ingenuity's second flight
(22 April 2021)
Ingenuity's third fight
(25 April 2021)
Ingenuity's fourth flight
(30 April 2021)
Ingenuity's successful fifth flight to "Airfield B"
(7 May 2021)[57]

Ingenuity helicopter on Mars

Images from Ingenuity helicopter[b][c]
Ingenuity's first color image after deployment
(4 April 2021)[d]
Ingenuity on sol 45
Ingenuity's first image on first flight – altitude 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Ingenuity landing from its first flight (19 April 2021)
First color aerial image taken – altitude 5.2 m (17 ft) (22 April 2021)
Ingenuity views rover (left-up) from 5.0 m (16.4 ft) (25 April 2021)
Rover from 5.0 m (16.4 ft) high
Ingenuity's shadow during third test flight (25 April 2021)
Ingenuity's fourth flight (30 April 2021)
Ingenuity finds new Airfield B on fourth flight (30 April 2021)
Ingenuity during anomaly survivor sixth flight on sol 91
Ingenuity's fifth flight from 10 m (33 ft) high (7 May 2021)
Ingenuity's sixth flight from 10 m (33 ft) high (22 May 2021)
Ingenuity flight six navcam imagery showing last 29 seconds in flight along with navigation anomaly
The Ingenuity helicopter views the Perseverance rover (left) about 85 m (279 ft) away from 5.0 m (16.4 ft) in the air (25 April 2021)

Ingenuity deployment and pre-flight operations on Mars

Mars Ingenuity helicopter tests
Wright Brothers Field flight zone and rover locations
Map of Wright Brothers Field
Rover view of the field
Flight zone activities
Rover track and Wright Brothers Field
Ingenuity helicopter deployment: out from under the Perseverance rover and pre-flight testing operations
Successful deployment on Mars
Ingenuity helicopter rotor blades unlocked for flying
Ingenuity on sol 48[e]
Ingenuity gives its blades a slow-speed spin up test or 50 rpm test spin on sol 48
Ingenuity gives high-speed spin up test or 2400 rpm test spin on sol 55[e]
Ingenuity base station on rover
Debris shield removed
Legs deployed

Landing

Launch

Prelaunch

Other images

Wide images

Scarps Of Jezero Crater - viewed from space (7 October 2021)
Panorama from Perseverance viewing the South Séítah geologic unit (12 September 2021)
Perseverance viewing first drill site (enhanced color; 28 July 2021)
Perseverance views Santa Cruz Hill in Jezero Crater (29 April 2021)
The Ingenuity helicopter views the Perseverance rover (left) about 85 m (279 ft) away from 5.0 m (16.4 ft) in the air (25 April 2021)
Perseverance views Kodiak Hill (18 April 2021)
Panorama from Perseverance - scarps of Jezero Crater (17 April 2021)
Perseverance views "Delta Scarp" from over a mile away (17 March 2021)
Panorama of Perseverance views Santa Cruz (16 February 2022)
Panorama from Perseverance's landing site (21 February 2021)
Panorama from Perseverance's landing site (ultra-high-rez; 22 February 2021)
Panorama of Perseverance views the river delta of Jezero Crater (enhanced color; 12-20 June 2022)[59]
Mars sunset viewed by the Perseverance rover (9 November 2021)
Map of Mars
(view • discuss)
Interactive image map of the global topography of Mars, overlaid with the position of Martian rovers and landers. Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations of Martian surface.
Clickable image: Clicking on the labels will open a new article.
(   Active •   Inactive •   Planned)
(See also: Mars map; Mars Memorials list)
Beagle 2Beagle 2
Bradbury Landing
Curiosity
Deep Space 2
Deep Space 2
InSightInSight
Mars 2Mars 2
Mars 3Mars 3
Mars 6Mars 6
Mars Polar Lander
Mars Polar Lander ↓
OpportunityOpportunity
Perseverance
Perseverance
PhoenixPhoenix
Rosalind FranklinRosalind Franklin
Schiaparelli EDM
Schiaparelli EDM
SojournerSojourner
Spirit
Spirit
Tianwen-1Zhurong
Viking 1
Viking 1
Viking 2Viking 2
Map of MarsAcheron FossaeAcidalia PlanitiaAlba MonsAmazonis PlanitiaAonia PlanitiaArabia TerraArcadia PlanitiaArgentea PlanumArgyre PlanitiaChryse PlanitiaClaritas FossaeCydonia MensaeDaedalia PlanumElysium MonsElysium PlanitiaGale craterHadriaca PateraHellas MontesHellas PlanitiaHesperia PlanumHolden craterIcaria PlanumIsidis PlanitiaJezero craterLomonosov craterLucus PlanumLycus SulciLyot craterLunae PlanumMalea PlanumMaraldi craterMareotis FossaeMareotis TempeMargaritifer TerraMie craterMilankovič craterNepenthes MensaeNereidum MontesNilosyrtis MensaeNoachis TerraOlympica FossaeOlympus MonsPlanum AustralePromethei TerraProtonilus MensaeSirenumSisyphi PlanumSolis PlanumSyria PlanumTantalus FossaeTempe TerraTerra CimmeriaTerra SabaeaTerra SirenumTharsis MontesTractus CatenaTyrrhen TerraUlysses PateraUranius PateraUtopia PlanitiaValles MarinerisVastitas BorealisXanthe Terra
The image above contains clickable links Interactive image map of the global topography of Mars, overlain with locations of Mars Memorial sites. Hover your mouse over the image to see the names of over 60 prominent geographic features, and click to link to them. Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations, based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. Whites and browns indicate the highest elevations (+12 to +8 km); followed by pinks and reds (+8 to +3 km); yellow is 0 km; greens and blues are lower elevations (down to −8 km). Axes are latitude and longitude; Polar regions are noted.
(   Named •   Debris •   Lost )
Beagle 2
← Beagle 2
Curiosity
Bradbury Landing →
Deep Space 2
Deep Space 2 ? →
InSight
InSight Landing →
Mars 2
Mars 2 ? →
Mars 3
← Mars 3 Landing
Mars 6
Mars 6 ? →
Mars Polar Lander
Polar Lander ? ↓
Opportunity
↑ Challenger Memorial Station
Pereverance
↓Octavia E. Butler Landing
↓Valinor Hills Station
↓Wright Brothers Field
Three Forks Sample Depot→
Phoenix
← Green Valley
Schiaparelli EDM lander
Schiaparelli EDM →
Pathfinder
↓Carl Sagan Memorial Station
Spirit
Columbia Memorial Station ↑
Viking 1
Thomas Mutch Memorial Station →
Viking 2
Gerald Soffen Memorial Station →


See also

Notes

  1. ^ Aerial image by the helicopter Ingenuity
  2. ^ All images taken by Ingenuity are taken from black-and-white downward-facing navigation camera or horizon-facing terrain camera[58]
  3. ^ Ingenuity legs are seen clearly on the corners of the each image
  4. ^ Perseverance rover wheels are clearly seen in top corners
  5. ^ a b Please see the difference between the image on high-speed spin up test and the one on sol 48, that is the image on sol 48 has the upper blade in diagonal position while the high-speed spin up test has lower blade in diagonal position
  6. ^ a b note the difference: the twin rover on Earth is powered by electric cables, while Perseverance on Mars is powered by MMRTG

References

  1. ^ Chang, Kenneth (15 February 2022). "On Mars, a NASA Rover and Helicopter's Year of Surprise and Discovery - The past 12 months on Mars have been both "exciting" and "exhausting" for scientists and engineers minding Perseverance and Ingenuity. And the mission is only really getting started". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  2. ^ Dvorsky, George (20 February 2019). "You Can Now Check the Weather on Mars Every Day". Gizmodo. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  3. ^ Berger, Eric (20 February 2019). "With the best air pressure sensor ever on Mars, scientists find a mystery". Ars Technica. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  4. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Perseverance Rover's SuperCam Science Instrument Delivers First Results". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  5. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen From Red Planet". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ^ "NASA's Perseverance Rover Microphone Captures Sounds from Mars". NASA. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Staff (5 March 2021). "Welcome to 'Octavia E. Butler Landing'". NASA. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  8. ^ Cappucci, Matthew (8 April 2021). "NASA receives first weather reports from Perseverance rover on Mars at Jezero Crater – The weather data is crucial as the first flight of Ingenuity draws near". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  9. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "We Are Prepping for Ingenuity's Third Flight Test". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  10. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Ingenuity Completes Its Fourth Flight". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  11. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Completes First One-Way Trip". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  12. ^ a b mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Ingenuity Helicopter to Begin New Demonstration Phase". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  13. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Why Ingenuity's Fifth Flight Will Be Different". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  14. ^ NASA/JPL. "Plans Underway for Ingenuity's Sixth Flight". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  15. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Surviving an In-Flight Anomaly: What Happened on Ingenuity's Sixth Flight". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  16. ^ a b c mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Perseverance Rover Begins Its First Science Campaign on Mars". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  17. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "To Séítah and Back". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  18. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Sample Handling". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  19. ^ June 2021, Mike Wall 09 (9 June 2021). "Mars helicopter Ingenuity aces 7th flight on the Red Planet". Space.com. Retrieved 3 July 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Demo, Teddy Tzanetos, Operations Lead for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter-Ops. "Flight 8 Success, Software Updates, and Next Steps". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 3 July 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Laboratory, Håvard Grip, Chief Pilot & Bob Balaram, Chief Engineer for the Mars Helicopter Project at NASA's Jet Propulsion. "We're Going Big for Flight 9". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 3 July 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ July 2021, Meghan Bartels 06 (6 July 2021). "NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity sails through 9th flight on the Red Planet". Space.com. Retrieved 7 July 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Scientist, Håvard F. Grip, Ingenuity Chief Pilot, and Ken Williford, Perseverance Deputy Project. "Flight 9 Was a Nail-Biter, but Ingenuity Came Through With Flying Colors". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 8 July 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ a b "Sample Caching Dry Run, 1st sample tube cached". Twitter. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  25. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Aerial Scouting of 'Raised Ridges' for Ingenuity's Flight 10". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  26. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "North-By-Northwest for Ingenuity's 11th Flight". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  27. ^ Voosen, Paul (31 July 2021). "Mars rover's sampling campaign begins". Science. 373 (6554). AAAS: 477. Bibcode:2021Sci...373..477V. doi:10.1126/science.373.6554.477. PMID 34326215. S2CID 236514399. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  28. ^ Voosem, Paul (21 June 2021). "NASA's Perseverance rover to drill first samples of martian rock". Science. AAAS. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  29. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "On the Eve of Perseverance's First Sample". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  30. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Assessing Perseverance's First Sample Attempt". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  31. ^ "NASA's first Mars sample appears to have crumbled to bits". Science. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  32. ^ a b mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Perseverance Plans Next Sample Attempt". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  33. ^ Teddy Tzanetos (15 August 2021). "Better By the Dozen – Ingenuity Takes on Flight 12". Status #321. NASA/JPL. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  34. ^ Fox, Karen; Johnson, Alana; Agle, AG (2 September 2021). "NASA's Perseverance Rover Successfully Cores Its First Rock". NASA. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  35. ^ Chang, Kenneth (3 September 2021). "On Mars, NASA's Perseverance Rover Drilled the Rocks It Came For - After an earlier drilling attempt failed to collect anything, the rover appeared to gather its first sample. But mission managers need to take another look before sealing the tube". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  36. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Lucky 13 – Ingenuity to Get Lower for More Detailed Images During Next Flight". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  37. ^ "Today was a good day. The @NASAPersevere rover successfully acquired its second sample of the Red Planet". Twitter. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  38. ^ "NASA's Perseverance Records a Martian Dust Devil". NASA. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  39. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Flight #15 - Start of the Return Journey". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  40. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Flight 16 – Short Hop to the North". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  41. ^ Meghan Bartels (23 November 2021). "Mars helicopter Ingenuity soars on 16th Red Planet flight". Space.com. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  42. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Flight 17 – Discovering Limits". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  43. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Sample Tally for the Crater Floor Campaign". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  44. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Mars Helicopter". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  45. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Perseverance Rover Arrives at Delta for New Science Campaign". NASA Mars Exploration. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  46. ^ a b c Chang, Kenneth (27 April 2022). "NASA Sees 'Otherworldly' Wreckage on Mars With Ingenuity Helicopter - The debris was part of the equipment that helped the Perseverance mission safely land on the red planet in 2021". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  47. ^ a b mars.nasa.gov. "Campaign #2: The Delta Front". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  48. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "We've Arrived! Perseverance Starts the Delta Front Campaign". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  49. ^ Berger, Eric (9 May 2022). "After losing contact with its helicopter, NASA put the entire Mars mission on hold". Ars Technica. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  50. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "NASA's Ingenuity in Contact With Perseverance Rover After Communications Dropout". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  51. ^ Achenbach, Joel (23 November 2022). "Mars rover digs up intriguing clues in the hunt for life beyond Earth - The Perseverance mission has collected samples that hold life-friendly molecules 'in pretty much every rock'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  52. ^ Scheller, Eva L. (23 November 2022). "Aqueous alteration processes in Jezero crater, Mars−implications for organic geochemistry". Science. doi:10.1126/science.abo520. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  53. ^ Timmer, John (23 November 2022). "No sign of the expected lake bed where Perseverance rover landed - Minerals that normally get altered in watery environments are still present". Ars Technica. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  54. ^ "3rd soil sample tube cached". nasa.gov. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  55. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Perseverance Sample Tube 266". NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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  57. ^ Chang, Kenneth (7 May 2021). "NASA Mars Helicopter Makes One-Way Flight to New Mission - Ingenuity has flown almost flawlessly through the red planet's thin air and will now assist the science mission of the Perseverance rover". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  58. ^ "Raw Images From Ingenuity Helicopter". NASA. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  59. ^ Chang, Kenneth (15 September 2022). "Life on Mars? This Could Be the Place NASA's Rover Helps Us Find It - Rocks collected by Perseverance are filled with organic molecules, and they formed in a lake that would have been habitable a few billion years ago". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
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