It has been an Earth year.
There was a bright moment in a tumultuous year when the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter landed on Mars. Even though many people were watching the event from home, NASA made sure to share the event as widely as possible.
There is a video highlight of that day, with pictures and video from both planets, and it brings smiles and tears of joy. The video we received of the landing from the rover itself, as well as the sky-crane lowering Perseverance to the planet's surface, is nothing short of stunning.
The Mars 2020 rover has been on Mars for 355 days. The year on Mars is 668 sols.
In the past year, the mobile science lab has traveled through Jezero Crater, a location that may have contained a lake billions of years ago. Perseverance has been using a drill on the end of its robotic arm to collect samples of Martian rocks. The first step in the Mars Sample Return campaign is collecting samples.
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said that the samples Perseverance has been collecting will provide a key chronology for the formation of Jezero Crater.
Mars scientists have been able to study some of the oldest rocks on the planet. The scientists say those rocks will have recorded and preserved Mars' past environments, and perhaps even signs of ancient life.
Perseverance's deputy project scientist at NASA said that they take what they know about the age of impact craters on the Moon and send it to Mars.
Perseverance broke a record for the longest drive by a Mars rover in a single day, travelling almost 1,050 feet. The sol was the 351st Martian day. The entire drive was performed using the self-driving software called AutoNav, which allows Perseverance to find its own path around rocks and other obstacles.
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is one of the biggest surprises of the mission. The original plan was for the helicopter to take up to five flights over 30 days, but no one knew if it would work. Ginny has completed 19 flights over the past 10 months and is still going strong. The helicopter is helping Perseverance's team plan the path ahead and providing a new perspective of Martian terrain.
While looking back, the scientists have been looking ahead. Perseverance will be heading back to the landing site. The team wanted to explore the rocky portion of the crater floor first. The first phase of the mission will soon be over.
The second phase of the rover's mission will be to study the remains of a fan-shaped delta formed by an ancient river as it fed the lake in Jezero Crater. Perseverance would have to cross sand dunes and other rough terrain on the other route to get to the delta.
Scientists want to get to the delta because they accumulate a lot of silt over time, which could potentially trap organic matter or signs of life in the environment. This destination is expected to be a highlight of the year in the summer of 2022, according to NASA.
Let's look back to a year ago. The views of the sky-crane lowering Perseverance to the surface start at about 2:25 in this video.
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