Perseverance
What is Perseverance?
Probes & telescopes· Launched 2020-07-30 – landed 2021-02-18 (5th year on Mars). NASA's rover searching for signs of ancient life in Jezero crater, once a lake on Mars. It is collecting rock samples in sealed tubes, and its companion helicopter Ingenuity made the first powered flight on another planet.
Mission timeline
Spacecraft specs
| Launch | 2020-07-30 |
|---|---|
| Landing | Jezero crater |
| Mass | 1,025 kg |
| Companion | Ingenuity helicopter, 72 flights |
Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.
Perseverance's sample depot at Three Forks
Between December 2022 and January 2023, Perseverance set down ten sample tubes on a flat area called Three Forks. The depot is a backup in case the rover breaks down and cannot deliver its samples itself. The tubes were laid in a zigzag several metres apart, so that each can be picked up later without disturbing the others.
The rover collected most samples in pairs from the same spot, keeping one on board and leaving its twin here. One of the ten tubes holds Martian air, and another is a witness tube used to check for contamination the rover carried from Earth. Because the plan to bring samples to Earth is under review, when these tubes will come home has not been decided.
The mission in depth
Perseverance was launched on 30 July 2020 and landed in Jezero crater on Mars on 18 February 2021. It weighs about a tonne and is the size of a small car. A hovering sky crane lowered the rover gently to the ground on cables, and the landing was filmed by several cameras.
Jezero was chosen because it held a lake about 3.5 billion years ago. The delta that a river built as it carried mud and sand into the lake is still there. On Earth, places like this preserve traces of ancient life well, so if Mars ever had life, Jezero is a good place to look for its traces.
The rover's most important job is collecting samples. It drills rod-shaped cores out of rock and seals them inside small tubes. The goal is to bring these tubes to Earth one day for detailed study. The rover's MOXIE experiment also succeeded in making oxygen from the carbon dioxide in Mars's air.
The helicopter Ingenuity, which travelled with the rover, made the first powered flight on another planet in April 2021. Mars's air is only about one hundredth as dense as Earth's, so the rotors must spin very fast to lift off. Planned for five flights, Ingenuity flew 72 times before a damaged rotor ended its mission in January 2024.
Frequently asked
- When did Perseverance launch?
- Perseverance was launched on 2020-07-30.
- What is the mass of Perseverance?
- The mass of Perseverance is 1,025 kg.
- In one line, what is Perseverance?
- Probes & telescopes — NASA's rover searching for signs of ancient life in Jezero crater, once a lake on Mars.
Related
Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.