Mars is the planet that we humans are hoping to make our second home. And there have been a lot of expeditions for research on mars and there is yet another interesting expedition by NASA.
NASA announced today that the “Perseverance Rover” has successfully touched down on the surface of Mars. The rover has overcome the risky landing phase known as the “seven minutes of terror“.
Touchdown confirmed. The #CountdownToMars is complete, but the mission is just beginning. pic.twitter.com/UvOyXQhhN9
— NASA (@NASA) February 18, 2021
NASA’s Jet Propulsion headquarters jumped in joy as Swathi Mohan, the Operations lead confirmed the touchdown around 3:55 pm EST (20:55 GMT).
The autonomously guided procedure was finished more than 11 minutes earlier. This time delay is how long it takes for radio signals to return to Earth.
The rover is the fifth of its kind to set its wheels on Mars with the first one landing in 1997. One notable thing here is that all five have been American.
The rover, about the size of an SUV, weighs a ton and is equipped with a 2-meter robotic arm. It has 19 cameras, 2 microphones, and a suite of innovative technologies for aiding it in its goals.
The multi-year mission comprises finding the biosignatures of microbes that could’ve possibly existed billions of years ago, when conditions were warmer and wetter than they are today.
The rover will attempt to collect around 30 rock and soil samples in sealed tubes. These will be sent to Earth eventually in around 2030.
One question which is always there is the existence of life beyond Earth.
Humans are unique in their ability to find an answer to this question with the help of scientific investigations.
NASA also wants to run several eye-catching experiments including attempting the first powered flight on another planet, with a helicopter drone called Ingenuity, that will have to achieve lift in an atmosphere that’s 1% of Earth’s atmosphere.
