Meet Perseverance, NASA’s New Mars Rover

July 15, 2020November 20, 2020 Chuckles Freely 0 Comments Mars, space

With a launch date of mid-August 2020, Perseverance is set to join its 4 predecessors–Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity–on the Red Planet. It’s main mission will be to look for signs of current and/or previous life.

Powered by heat generated from the natural decay of plutonium-238, the SUV-sized Perseverance rover will land in the Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide impact crater located a bit north of the Martian equator. Why here? Because some 3 to 4 billion years ago, a large river flowed here into a lake estimated to be around the size of Lake Tahoe. NASA scientists believe it contains large amounts of clay and carbonate minerals, which may have preserved or currently contain evidence of microbial life.

Jezero Crater was chosen after extensive analysis and debate due to the exposure of multiple layers of the Martian surface and the high likelihood of fossilized microbes. (Image Credit: *NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU*)

The evidence for life on Mars is fairly strong. In 2018, Curiosity detected seasonal variations of methane in the atmosphere. Methane is a byproduct of bacteria and its periodic fluctuations suggest bacteria populations grow and shrink at different times of the year. Curiosity also found organic molecules like thiophenes, which are essential to life as we know it. When the James Webb Space Telescope launches in the near future, although it has been delayed numerous times already, the search for life on Mars will ramp up. Webb will continue the analysis of the Martian atmosphere by looking at the ratio of water to heavy water and use higher powered instruments to gain a better understanding of methane concentrations.

When it lands on the Martian surface on February 18, 2021, Perseverance also has 3 other missions: characterize the climate, characterize the geology, and prepare for human exploration. (Read here about why Colonizing Mars Is A Terrible Idea). An array of complex instruments will help Perseverance accomplish these goals during its one Mars year long mission, which is roughly 687 Earth days.

Mastcam-Z is a panoramic and stereoscopic camera. This will allow the rover to take images from different angles and piece them together to create a 3D effect. With its high-powered zooming abilities, photos produced by this piece of equipment will enable NASA scientists to analyze Mars’ unique landscape, rock formations, and mineralogy.

MEDA (Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer) will primarily study Martian weather. It will be able to take detailed readings on the speed and direction of the wind, surface temperature, humidity, air pressure, and even solar radiation. MEDA will also have SkyCam, which faces towards the sky to measure the amount of dust and aerosols above.

MOXIE (Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment) will be the first test in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. ISRU stands for in situ resource utilization, which is the idea of using resources found at the place of landing, instead of bringing them. Oxygen is a necessity for human exploration and colonization of Mars, as well as being an essential element for launching a return rocket.

MOXIE works by splitting carbon dioxide with electricity, freeing the oxygen. (Image Credit: NASA)

PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) will produce postage stamp-sized X-ray images. Although these images are small, they will provide a wealth of information, such as the presence and position of over 20 different elements, each of which exhibit a signature glow. This information will help NASA scientists determine how and when features on the Martian landscape formed, potentially showing the some are biological.

RIMFAX (Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment) is designed to probe below the surface with radar. Similar devices are already used, but they are in orbit, severely limiting their effectiveness. Bringing it to the surface will offer a much more detailed picture of the many layers of rock below the surface, potentially including water or ice.

SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) will focus on finding organic molecules and minerals. With an ultraviolet laser, it will scan the surface of Mars, searching for the characteristic reflections. It will also contain WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering), which can take microscopic photos of surface textures.

SuperCam uses a pulsing laser to analyze the chemical makeup of Mars’ soil. It will do this in three ways. First, it will heat a sample to 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit (10,000 degrees Celsius) and analyze the color of the plasma created. Second, it will record and analyze the sound waves emitted from the laser hitting a sample. NASA claims that “The popping sound created by the laser subtly changes depending on a rock’s material properties.” Third, SuperCam will have a green laser, which reflects different signals depending on the elements bonded together, a method of analysis called Raman spectroscopy.

To help engage the public and inspire future scientists, NASA engraved the names of 10.9 million people who participated in the “Send Your Names to Mars” campaign. “As we get ready to launch this historic Mars mission, we want everyone to share in this journey of exploration,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Perseverance will also include a chip with 155 winning essays from the “Name the Rover” essay contest.

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