Calay News
Two years ago, NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived on Mars after a journey of more than 200 days from Earth. Thanks to its advanced technology, the rover was able to land on the surface of the red planet and has since traveled over part of its surface, collecting samples and taking images of the planet for study. Perseverance, which weighs 1,025 kilograms, is the heaviest rover ever sent to Mars and has achieved important scientific milestones in its mission.
One of Perseverance’s most outstanding contributions has been the Ingenuity helicopter, which became the first aircraft in history to fly on the surface of another planet. The vehicle flew 370 meters in a 129-second flight, imaging areas that are difficult for a rover to reach. After a pause of almost a month due to a dust storm, Ingenuity has resumed its activity and has made a total of 19 successful flights.
On February 14, 2022, Perseverance broke the record for the longest distance traveled by a Martian rover in a single day, reaching nearly 320 meters thanks to the use of AutoNav autonomous driving software, which allows it to locate and avoid obstacles in its path.
In addition, Perseverance has collected rock samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which scientists believe was a lake billions of years ago. Analysis of the samples suggests the existence of a river that flowed into a lake in the past. NASA is studying the possibility of sending the rock cores collected by Perseverance back to Earth through the “Mars Sample Return” campaign, which would provide a key chronology of the crater’s formation.
