The object is similar to a flying saucer.
Yes, it is.
It doesn't belong to aliens.
The backshell that detached during the landing of the Perseverance rover on the surface of the red planet is the work of NASA.
Ian Clark, an engineer who worked on Perseverance's parachute system, said that there was a sci-fi element to it.
Ingenuity took 10 pictures during its 159 seconds in the air over 1,181 feet. The backshell is the part of the landing capsule that protected Perseverance and Ingenuity. The parachute that slowed the vehicles' descent is still attached.
At an altitude of 1.3 miles, the backshell and parachute detached from the rover. Skycrane took Perseverance the rest of the way to the surface, while the backshell and parachute landed more than a mile away to the northwest.
The backshell hit the ground at 78 miles per hour. There are no obvious signs of charring. The suspension lines connecting the parachute to the backshell appear to be intact. Engineers are scrutinizing the new images in detail.
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but it is also worth an infinite amount of engineering understanding, according to Mr. Clark.
Perseverance is a 2,200-pound rover and Ingenuity is an experimental Mars helicopter.
Ingenuity helicopter.
The Perseverance rover will communicate with the four-pound aircraft.
There are blades.
Four carbon-fiber blades will spin.
There is power.
The rover's batteries will be charged by the plutonium-based power supply.
MAST.
Instruments will take pictures. The chemistry of Martian rocks will be studied by a laser.
PiXl.
Will look for signs of past life on Mars.
An antenna.
Data will be transmitted directly to Earth.
The arm is robotic.
A robotic arm is attached to a turret. A drill will be used to extract samples. The device will be able to detect potential biosignatures with the help of the camera.
Perseverance Rover.
The rover is 2,200 pounds. It has a suspension system and aluminum wheels.
Ingenuity helicopter.
The aircraft will communicate with the rover.
There is power.
The rover's batteries will be charged by the plutonium-based power supply.
MAST.
Instruments will take pictures. The chemistry of Martian rocks will be studied by a laser.
PiXl.
Will look for signs of past life on Mars.
The arm is robotic.
A robotic arm is attached to a turret. A drill will be used to extract samples. The device will be able to detect potential biosignatures with the help of the camera.
Perseverance Rover.
The rover is 2,200 pounds. It has a suspension system and aluminum wheels.
The arm is robotic.
A robotic arm is attached to a turret. A drill will be used to extract samples. The device will be able to detect potential biosignatures with the help of the camera. PiXl will look for signs of past life on Mars.
Studying the remains of the backshell could help NASA in their next big Mars adventure, bringing back rocks and soil from Mars to Earth for more detailed study. The Mars Sample Return mission will need to put two landers on the surface, a rover, and a small rocket to send rock samples to another mission.
Mr. Clark said that they use all of their best models and analysis tools. The images help verify how well the models worked and add confidence to the models in the future.
The project scientist of the mission was interested in more than just the spectacular images of the hardware.
Dr. Farley said in an email that the wreck wound up on the contact between the two rock formations on the crater floor. The two formations are made of volcanic rocks. They are very different in composition. The olivine is rich in thick magma and may be a lava lake. Maaz has a composition similar to most basaltic lava flows, but with little or no olivine.
The two formations meet at a line of rocks that run from the backshell to an area next to the parachute.
The mission's scientists were so interested in the geology that they made another pass over the dividing line on Sunday. The pictures will be sent back to Earth on Thursday.
During its drives, Perseverance has been busy. On April 2, it took a series of pictures of the small Martian moon Phobos passing in front of the sun. The interior structure of Mars is given hints by the detailed measurements of Phobos.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
