In the next few weeks, NASA will be launching the Mars 2020 Mission to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover in tow. The mission will build on the foundation laid by its predecessors with a robotic eye toward future human Martian exploration.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
This NASA illustration depicts Perseverance roving the Red Planet.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The Mars 2020 rover is the culmination of previous rover research and development. Overall, Perseverance’s design is based predominantly on the configuration of the Mars Curiosity rover.
This photo features a series a pair of NASA spacecraft engineers alongside a series of test Mars rovers. From right to left, the depicted test rovers include Curiosity, Sojourner, and the Mars Exploration Rover Project rover.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The Mars 2020 rover undergoing tests in a Jet Propulsion Laboratory cleanroom.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The Mars 2020 rover has six aluminum wheels (three to a side) with cleats and small titanium spokes for enhanced traction and each wheel touts an individual motor. While roving the rocky landscape, Perseverance is capable of rolling over rocks up to nearly 16-inches tall.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The Mars 2020 spacecraft will leverage a specially designed parachute and a descent vehicle for landing. The last leg of this descent utilizes an approach technique known as the “skycrane maneuver,” where the rover is gently lowering the craft to the Martian surface via a tether.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
Perseverance is pegged to land in an area with a “high potential” for detecting evidence of ancient microbial life-the Jezero Crater (depicted above). Billions of years ago, “a river flowed into a body of water the size of Lake Tahoe” at the Jezero site, according to NASA.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The Mars 2020 mission will also feature the debut of the Martian helicopter, officially known as Ingenuity.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The small craft featuring two rotors has been engineered to fly through the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
NASA plans to fly the craft in short bursts; up to 90 seconds at a time. The helicopter will fly between 10 to 15 feet above the ground and traverse nearly 980 feet during these intermittent flights.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
NASA hopes the Mars helicopter will provide the agency with a new perspective of the area’s geology. The craft will also be able to observe areas the rover is not able to navigate such as steeper terrain.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover undergoing testing at Kennedy Space Center in April.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
In this photo, a mission team member attaches thermal film to a Mars Helicopter flight model.
In this photo, an engineer attaches the Mars helicopter to the underside of Perseverance.
The Mars helicopter weighs just under four pounds and will be strapped to the Perseverance rover’s underside during launch and landing.
This photo shows the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover being positioned inside the aeroshell. This structure will protect the rover during launch and transport to the Red Planet.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The backshell and cruise stage containing the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will separate approximately six miles above the rover’s landing site, according to NASA.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
This photo shows the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover prior to encapsulation inside of its payload fairing.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
This payload fairing contains the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
This is an illustration of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle en route to the Red Planet with the Mars 2020 spacecraft in tow.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
The Perseverance rover will attempt to gain a better understanding of the Red Planet’s ancient past, but also gain insights to help scientists plan for future human exploration missions.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
A NASA illustration showing a human astronaut looking out across the Martian surface.
SEE: NASA’s Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know about the Mars 2020 Mission (TechRepublic)
R. Dallon Adams is a journalist originally from Louisville, Kentucky. His previous work includes a wide spectrum of beats and formats ranging from tech-savvy urban planning initiatives to hands-on gadget reviews.
