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. As of January 10, 2022, Perseverance has been on the planet Mars for 317 sols (326 total days; 326 days) since landing on 18 February 2021.
Current weather data on Mars is being gathered by the Curiosity rover and the Insight lander.[1][2] The Perseverance rover will also collect weather data. (See the last section External links)
Overview of mission
First audio captured from the surface of another planet (Sol 1) (0:18)
Raw audio version. See also the filtered version that has the rover noise removed.
Recording of Martian wind (Sol 4) (0:40)
First acoustic recording of laser shots on Mars (Sol 12) (0:11)
Sounds of Perseverance rover driving on the surface of Mars (Sol 16) (1:25)
Highlights from the 16-minute raw audio processed to reduce noise
Mars helicopter Ingenuity flying on Mars during its 4th flight (2:30)
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Prelaunch (2012–2020)
4 December 2012: Mars 2020 mission announced by NASA.
8–10 February 2017: Workshop held to discuss eight proposed landing sites for the mission. The three sites chosen were Jezero crater, Northeastern Syrtis Major Planum, and Columbia Hills.
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,[3] generated oxygen on Mars with MOXIE,[4] 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.
8 April 2021: NASA reported the first MEDA weather report on Mars: for 3–4 April 2021, the high was "minus-7.6 degrees, and a low of minus-117.4 degrees ... [winds] gusting to ... 22 mph".[6]
19 April 2021: First major flight test of Ingenuity
30 April 2021: Fourth flight test of Ingenuity.[8]
7 May 2021: Fifth flight test of Ingenuity.[9] First one-way flight on Mars. Ingenuity's mission transitions from being a technology demonstration to being an operations demonstration.[10][11]
22 May 2021: Sixth flight test of Ingenuity, first of the operations demonstration.[12] A glitch with the navigation system caused the helicopter to land 5 meters away from its intended landing site.[13]
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-present)
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.[14]
The Cratered Floor Campaign was the first science campaign.[15] 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.[14]
After collecting the samples, Perseverance will return to its landing site, before continuing north 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.[16] While Perseverance is embarking on its first science campaign, Ingenuity will continue to travel alongside the rover as part of its operations demonstration campaign.[10]
1 June 2021: Perseverance begins its first science campaign.[14]
21 June 2021: Eighth flight of Ingenuity. The “watchdog issue”, a recurring issue which occasionally prevented Ingenuity from taking flight, is fixed.[18]
5 July 2021: Ninth flight of Ingenuity. This flight is the first to explore areas only an aerial vehicle can, by taking a shortcut over the Séítah unit. The sandy ripples of the Séítah unit would prove too difficult for Perseverance to travel through directly.[19][20][21]
7 July 2021: To test its sampling system, the rover ran one sample tube through inspection, sealing and storing and the attempt was successful. Up to this point, the rover has now used 1 of its 43 sample tubes.[22]
5-6 August 2021: Perseverance attempted to acquire its first sample from the ancient lakebed by drilling out "finger-size cores of Martian rock for return to Earth."[25][26][27] This attempt did not succeed, as the rock sampled was not sufficiently consolidated to produce an intact core and has turned to dust.[28] Up to this point, the rover has now used 2 of its 43 sample tubes.[29] Later on, the mission team confirmed that though soil samples were not cached, but in this process the rover cached the gas samples of the martian atmosphere in it, being the first gas samples cached by the rover.[30]
21 November 2021: Sixteenth flight of Ingenuity.[37][38]
5 December 2021: Seventeenth flight of Ingenuity. Full data from the flight was not received until later, as Ingenuity initially landed in an area which prevented communication with the rover.[39]
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 2020Perseverance Rover on the surface of Mars. Out of 43 sample tubes, soil sample tubes cached-5,[40] gas sample tubes cached-1,[30] witness tubes cached-1,[22] tubes due to be cached-36. 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.[41]
Perseverance rover track and Ingenuity helicopter flight zone seen after rover had reached Van Zyl Overlook
Ingenuity helicopter flight path and Perseverance Traverse Path showing their current locations. Live link
The distance traveled over time of Perseverance and Ingenuity
26035 Map-of-Ingenuitys-Ninth-Flight-Path
Perseverance enters Séítah on sol 201
Perseverance rover viewed from space (28 September 2021)
Flight Profile for Ingenuity's Flight 15
Gallery
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Mars – Perseverance rover – landing site panoramic view (18 February 2021)
Mars – Perseverance rover – EDL overview (18 February 2021)
Self-portraits
Mars 2020 rover – Selfie process (animated; 2:04; 6 April 2021)
^All images taken by Ingenuity are taken from black-and-white downward-facing navigation camera or horizon-facing terrain camera[52]
^Ingenuity legs are seen clearly on the corners of the each image
^Perseverance rover wheels are clearly seen in top corners
^ abPlease 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
^note the diffference it is on earth and run by electric cables, while perseverance is on mars run by MMRTG
^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.
