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“Landing confirmed” was the message of relief from the US space agency NASA control center in Pasadena, California, and engineers and scientists applauded. A few minutes later, the robot sent the first black and white pixelated photos of Mars.
One mile
The mission is considered a milestone: less than half of all Martian missions launched so far have been successful, because landings on the red planet are extremely difficult due to the thin atmosphere. NASA also spoke about the approach of the “seven minute terror” landing. The $ 2.5 billion NASA rover had to open a landing parachute, a heat shield dislodged, the gears slowed further, and “Perseverance” ended up in a previously unexplored dry lake called Jezero Crater.
Video: Landing watched with excitement
Austria’s know-how too
Developed over eight years, “Perseverance” is the most technologically advanced robot ever to be sent on a NASA mission. It is equipped with seven scientific instruments, a robotic arm, and a seeder. Power is supplied by a plutonium nuclear generator supplied by the US Department of Energy. The equipment also includes high-resolution video cameras with zoom and 3D recording capabilities, sensors for atmospheric conditions and monitoring of the planetary sand, as well as a system to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere, an X-ray imaging system, a georadar to scan the subsurface, and lasers to search for minerals and organic material.
Austria’s know-how is also in “Perseverance”. An Austrian team of scientists under the direction of Graz-based digitization expert Gerhard Paar of Joanneum Research worked on two cameras called “Mastcam Z”.
The robot has to investigate for two years. Image: APA / AFP / NASA
“I am safe on Mars,” said “Perseverance” after landing on Twitter. “Perseverance will get you anywhere.” The landing was also confirmed on NASA’s Twitter profile, but it also added: “The countdown to Mars has ended, but the mission has just begun.” The six-wheeler is expected to explore the surface of Mars for at least two Earth years. One of the tasks will be to answer the ancient question of past life on Mars. The “perseverance” was deliberately deposited in a crater that was once a lake. There, NASA expects rocks that have been under water for a long time and that have received fossilized remains of life.
After more than 200 days of flight and some 470 million kilometers traveled, “Perseverance” sent the first image. Image: Reuters
Research trips to Mars are currently booming: last week, space probes first from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and then from China successfully entered the planet’s orbit. “Al-Amal”, the UAE probe, should not land, the landing of the Chinese spacecraft “Tianwen 1” is scheduled in two or three months.
Portrait of the head of NASA
