NASA’s Perseverance rover collected the first rock sample on Mars in the Jezero crater delta and was sent for exploration. NASA said so, and also posted a photo of the sample taken by the rover before it was safely stored. Meanwhile, the Ingenuity mini helicopter that was parked not far away has to wait a little longer before it can take off again. It is currently winter in the region and there is a particularly large amount of dust in the atmosphere, which is why the sunlight is not yet sufficient to charge the batteries adequately. Weather permitting, the helicopter should take off again in August.
Longest previous sample taken
Perseverance reached the delta after a forced march in the spring and has explored its foothills in small stages ever since. He checked the soil frequently to find a suitable place to take a soil sample. However, the first stones crack very easily or cannot be drilled safely for other reasons, NASA is now explaining. The specimen called “Swift Run” was taken smoothly, measuring 6.7 cm in length and was also the longest rock specimen collected so far.
So, while the rover runs unchecked, Creativity must stop for several weeks. Due to the current adverse weather conditions, the helicopter is not able to charge its batteries sufficiently during the day to keep warm on Mars nights. That is why Ingenuity stops at night and cools to -80 ° C. In addition, after the failure of the tilt sensor, a patch was installed at the beginning of June. On June 11, the helicopter was her Flight 29 completed And he traveled to a place where he could maintain a better wireless connection with perseverance. In total, the flight distance is now more than seven kilometers, and creativity has traveled more than 55 minutes.
Perseverance and ingenuity landed on Mars in February 2021. Perseverance is the search for possible traces of life there in a former delta, and among other things, the collection of rock samples that will be brought to Earth as part of another mission. Ingenuity, on the other hand, should only prove that drones can take off there at all. Presented this demo with the first historic powered flight to Mars, and after several more flights, NASA decided not to let go of creativity as originally planned. Since then, creativity has accompanied the rover.
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