NASA has succeeded in piloting its Perseverance Mars rover on the surface of the red planet. Mission control burst into celebration after the Perseverance rover landed at Jezero crater on Mars. Perseverance mars rover will now spend the next two years drilling rocks at Jezero crater. During this time, it will expect to find signs of antique life.
Previously the mars orbiters used to capture images of the Jezero crater from about 200 kilometers above. It was sufficient for topographical analysis. But to search for life, earthlings needed rover-like perseverance.
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| Perseverance sends first colored picture after touchdown on Mars |
Jezero crater supported ancient lakes, and there are high potentials for hunting down traces of microbial life. This Crater is 28 miles or 45 kilometers wide and sits on the western edge of sides Planitia. It is a giant basin north of the Martian equator. It is said to have formed after a gigantic rock from space smashed through the Martian surface.
Are there any signs of life on mars? It is one of the most frequently asked questions in astrobiology. Perseverance has taken the primary task to answer this question.
Scientists speculate that mars were once used to sustain life just like earth, and therefore evidence of even a single microbe will further affirm. It will also collect rock and sediment samples for a future return to earth. It will pave the path for future mars missions. These imminent missions are aiming to bring humanity to the red planet.
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| Perseverance being brought down on the Martian surface via sky crane |
Looking back in history, NASA landed its first rover Sojourner on the red planet in 1997. This enterprise proved that the savage red planet allows rovers to move on its surface. Subsequent missions with Spirit and Opportunity rover found trails of ancient running water.
Curiosity Rover, the predecessor of perseverance, found that its landing site Gale Crater was once home to lake billions of years ago. It also showed signs of a favorable climate that could have likely supported life.
Discerning the conditions and climate of the red planet is another goal the mars rover wants to achieve. It will let us sense the reason behind the differences between earth and mars. It will also tell us why these two differ, although both planets originated from the same primordial stuff.
The rover has also been furnished with modern technology to provide detailed data regarding the Martian terrains, thus helping scientists find safe spots for humans to land future missions.
Perseverance has 23 cameras, which is itself history in interplanetary missions. These cameras will give a 360-degree visualization to the scientists here on earth and will make them more capable of gathering detailed images regarding the Martian landscapes.
As with previous mars missions, this one also plans to put raw and processed images on the mission’s website for the general public.
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