CABO CANAVERAL, Fla. – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket shot to the platform on Tuesday (July 28) in preparation for the launch NASA Perseverance Rover loving You.
The mission is scheduled to take off from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a two-hour window on Thursday (July 30) that opens at 7:50 am EDT. (1150 GMT).
The rocket emerged from the Vehicle Integration Facility (VIF) on SLC-41 around 10:30 a.m. EDT (1,400 GMT) Tuesday morning, before completing the first 1,800 feet (548 meters) of its journey to Red planet. The gold and white rocket sat on the mobile launch pad; The walk to the launch pad took 35 or 40 minutes, with the rocket pausing for short breaks during the journey.
Together, the rocket and the spacecraft weigh 1.8 million pounds. (820,000 kilograms) and travel to the platform with the help of rail cars and tracking vehicle machines underneath the mobile launch pad. The 200-foot-tall (60-meter) rocket reached the top of the launch pad just after 11 amEDT (1500 GMT) and will sit on the platform until the countdown reaches zero on Thursday morning.
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When it takes off, the rocket will send NASA’s new Mars rover, called Perseverance, to the Red Planet. The nearly seven-month journey will culminate in an intense landing sequence that, if all goes well, will safely position the car-sized robot in Jezero Crater February 18, 2021.
The rover will then spend at least a year on Mars, or nearly two Earth years, exploring an ancient river delta that lies within Jezero crater. The site houses an ancient Martian lake the size of Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. The river delta is believed to be one of the best places to look for signs of ancient Martian life.
NASA scientists do not expect to find ancient fossils or bones, but instead look for evidence left behind by single-celled organisms that could have inhabited the area millions of years ago.
Before the rover can search for such traces, it must be launched. To that end, NASA and ULA officials conducted a Launch Readiness Review yesterday (July 27) and determined that the rocket was ready to fly.
“The launch readiness review is complete, and we’re actually going to launch it,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine during a press conference yesterday.
The Perseverance Mars rover is safely tucked inside the nose cone of the rocket attached to the top of the vehicle. Flying in the second most powerful configuration, known as the 541 configuration, the powerful Atlas V will produce 2.3 million pounds. (1 million kg) of thrust at takeoff. That power comes thanks to the vehicle’s RD-180 main engine and an added boost from four solid rocket engines connected to the rocket.
“Do not blink [when watching the launch]”ULA CEO Tory Bruno advised during the same press conference yesterday. He then explained that the Atlas will jump off the platform as it has a relatively small payload.
Preparation for launch began on July 7, when the rover, as well as a little helicopter called wit, were encapsulated in the payload fairing and stacked on top of the rocket. The wit will attempt to become the first helicopter to fly to another planet and make the long journey to Mars attached to the Perseverance belly plate.
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The engineers then spent two weeks conducting a series of tests to make sure the spacecraft was properly connected to the rocket. Finally, on July 22, the final component was installed: the mobile power supply. Perseverance is based on a nuclear power generator known as MMRTG. The specialized fuel source converts heat into electrical energy that will power the vehicle throughout its life.
The rover carries a sophisticated set of scientific instruments, more than 20 different cameras, and two microphones that will record sound on Mars. All of this equipment gives the Perseverance rover a special superlative – the most advanced robotic explorer NASA has ever sent into deep space.
In addition to carrying out a series of scientific experiments, the rover is responsible for collecting samples of earth and Martian rocks that a future mission will bring back to Earth. Once back on Earth, scientists will use Martian samples for decades to better understand the history of the red planet.
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