NASA’s Perseverance Rover Arrives at Delta NASA’s Perseverance Rover has made an incredible journey from Earth to the Red Planet. And now, it’s set to begin its newest campaign: studying the planet’s climate change. Delta, the primary provider of launch services for NASA missions, has been instrumental in getting Perseverance to its destination. Here, we take a look at some of the key moments in this amazing rover’s history and why Delta is so important to its success.
What is NASA’s Perseverance Rover?
After a nearly three-year journey, the NASA Perseverance Rover has arrive at Delta in preparation for a new science campaign. The rover, which is equip with a number of instruments to study Mars’ environment and history, was launch in March of 2018 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. “The arrival of the NASA Perseverance Rover at Delta represents an important milestone for our mission,” said John Ratzinger, project scientist for the rover at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. “Now that we have it here, we can begin preparations for our first science campaign.”
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Arrives at Delta is one of two landing sites that were identify as potential destinations for the rover after it was sent off on its journey. The other landing site, call Sojourner crater, was rule out because it’s too dry and has no markings left by earlier explorations. “We’re really excite to be able to explore Delta,” said Jasper Sorensen, lead engineer on the Perseverance Rover at Danish Aerospace Operations (DAO). “It’s been a long journey, but we’re ready to start doing some real science.”
The New Science Campaign using the Rover
NASA’s Perseverance Rover has arrive at its new home at the Delta Science Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The $1.5 billion rover will be use for a new science campaign that will study the surface of Mars. “This is going to be a really exciting campaign,” said Michael Meyer, the lead scientist for the Perseverance mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “We’ll use the rover to explore some of the most rugg terrain on Mars.” Meyer and his team are already hard at work planning the first few months of exploration.
The new science campaign uses the technology and capabilities of NASA’s newest rover: Perseverance. The 3-ton, wheel robot was built specifically for this type of exploration on hostile environments like Martian glaciers and sand dunes. It has eight legs with custom-made wheels that can move over a variety of terrains including snow and ice. And because it’s solar power, there’s no need to carry heavy fuel tanks or operate complicate systems that can fail in icy conditions. “This is an incredibly versatile vehicle,” said Meyer. “We’re looking forward to using it to learn more about the history and evolution of Martian landscapes.”
Delta as the Landing Site for the Rover
NASA’s Perseverance Rover has arrive at Delta to begin a new science campaign. The mission will examine the surface materials and climate of the Martian delta region, which may provide clues to understanding how the Red Planet evolve. “The NASA’s Perseverance Rover Arrives at Delta region on Mars is an important place to study because it is one of the most geologically diverse areas on the planet,” said Rebecca Williams, rover science team member at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “The delta region was probably an ocean or freshwater lake long ago and has been subject to a variety of environmental changes since then.”
The rover will use its instruments to analyze soil samples, measure temperature and moisture conditions, and map out the location and extent of any potential water sources. The data collect during this mission could help address questions about how global change affect Mars’ ancient environment and ecosystems.
What to Expect from the Mission
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s (MRO) Perseverance Rover is set to arrive at the Delta region of Mars on Feb. 25, 2019, to begin a new science campaign. The mission will use the rover to study the morphology and mineralogy. Of rocks and soil in an effort to better understand the Martian environment. “The goal of this campaign is to learn more about how the environment has changed in recent geological time, as well as search for clues that could reveal whether or not there was ever life on Mars,
” said John Rumsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Our expectations are that Perseverance will yield important new insights into what makes up Martian soils and rocks.” Perseverance will also help researchers learn more about how different environmental conditions on Mars might have affect past microbial life there. “This information may provide us with ideas about potential future missions. That could seek evidence of past microbial activity,” add Rumsfeld.
A key part of the mission is using two instruments. The Alpha Particle Spectrometer (APS) and the Surface Exposure Rate Sensor (SERS). Which can measure trace levels of elements like potassium and argon. In rock samples to help determine their ages and environmental conditions when they were form. The APS instrument also can take measurements of atmospheric gases like argon. Nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide which can tell scientists about local air temperatures at various points in history.
Conclusion
After a six-month journey from Earth, NASA’s Perseverance Rover has arrive at the Delta platform in lunar orbit. The $2 million rover is part of the agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission. To study the moon’s geological features and mineralogy. Launch in 2009, LRO has been orbiting the moon continuously since January 2013 and is currently operating at full power.