NASA’s Perseverance rover toured the surface of Mars for the first time. The trip was short and monotonous, writes the BBC.
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Judging by photos posted on NASA’s website, the rover traveled a short distance in a circle.
Two weeks have passed since Perseverance landed on the Red Planet. This time, the engineers set about getting the machine and many of its systems up and running, notably various tools and a robotic arm.
The rover’s mission is to investigate a near-equatorial crater called Jezero for evidence of the existence of life on the planet.
To do this, you will have to exceed about 15 km, which will take one Martian year (approximately two Earth years).
Scientists want to reach various rock formations in the crater that can store information about ancient biological activity.
These include what appears to be a delta in satellite images, a structure made of silt and sand washed away by a river that empties into a larger body of water. In Jezero’s case, this vast body of water was likely a lake billions of years ago.
But before Perseverance can begin this task, he must conduct an experiment: attempt to fly a small helicopter brought back from Earth.
The rover will spend the next few weeks en route from its current location to a suitable location where the Ingenuity helicopter can be safely placed on the ground. He is currently under the Perseverance floor.
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