by NASA’s Perseverance rover, with the Ingenuity helicopter attached to its belly, is on target to touch down gently in Jezero Crater on Mars around 3:55 p.m. EST (12:55 p.m. PST, 8:55 p.m. GMT) today, February 18, 2021. Live coverage and landing commentary will start at 2:15 p.m. EST (11:15 a.m. PST, 7:15 p.m. GMT) on the NASA TV Public Channel.
The Perseverance rover mission, launched on July 30, 2020, will address high-priority science goals for Mars exploration.
Developed under NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, it will seek signs of past microbial life and characterize the planet’s climate and geology.
It will also collect samples of Martian rocks and dust for a future Mars Sample Return mission to Earth, while paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Perseverance, the largest, heaviest robotic Mars rover NASA has built, is based on the Curiosity rover configuration.
It is car-sized, about 3 m (10 feet) long not including the robotic arm, 2.7 m (9 feet) wide and 2.1 m (7 feet) tall. But at 1,025 kg (2,260 pounds), it weighs less than a compact car.
Its robotic arm is equipped with a rotating turret, which includes a rock drill, science instruments and a camera.
Continued...
Source
The Perseverance rover mission, launched on July 30, 2020, will address high-priority science goals for Mars exploration.
Developed under NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, it will seek signs of past microbial life and characterize the planet’s climate and geology.
It will also collect samples of Martian rocks and dust for a future Mars Sample Return mission to Earth, while paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Perseverance, the largest, heaviest robotic Mars rover NASA has built, is based on the Curiosity rover configuration.
It is car-sized, about 3 m (10 feet) long not including the robotic arm, 2.7 m (9 feet) wide and 2.1 m (7 feet) tall. But at 1,025 kg (2,260 pounds), it weighs less than a compact car.
Its robotic arm is equipped with a rotating turret, which includes a rock drill, science instruments and a camera.
Continued...
Source
Last edited by Dragon on Thu Feb 18, 2021 8:27 pm; edited 1 time in total
