The Perseverance rover is moving faster than any other rover. In February the rover broke a 17-year-old record for the longest drive by a rover in a single day, but now it is speeding towards its new target, the Jezero crater delta.
Its actual speed is just under a tenth of a mile per hour, but it is faster than its predecessors.
It is the cumulative daily progress that matters most to the rover's long-term science mission, even more than traveling long distances on individual days. It takes enough energy, time in the day, and data volume to support next-day drive decisions.
The science and engineering teams need to look at the data coming from the rover to make decisions about where to send it next. Our team has been able to put together a sustained campaign that has met and exceeded expectations because ofPerseverance. It has traveled about 1.5 km in a week.
Since landing in the Jezero crater, Perseverance has traveled more than four miles. The current location of the Ingenuity helicopter which traveled along with Perseverance to Mars can be seen on the Perseverance location map.
Perseverance still has a lot of science to do, but so far the signs are good for a long and healthy campaign. It is already exceeding the estimates when it comes to the speed of its progress.
I must admit that I was more pessimistic about the progress of the rover. I'm really excited to see Perseverance pull off this rapid drive campaign.
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