NASA has shared the first weather report from the Jezero Crater on Mars – and the once-ancient lake appears to be experiencing frigid temperatures.
The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) system aboard the Perseverance rover recorded the temperature in the area around 10:25 p.m. ET on Feb. 19 on Feb. 19.
The data shows it was just below -4F on the surface when MEDA was turned on, but dropped to -14F 30 minutes later.
MEDA is designed with a suite of environmental sensors to capture dust levels and six atmospheric conditions, along with the ability to measure near-surface radiant movements that will help the first humans to explore Mars.
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The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) system onboard the Perseverance rover recorded the temperature in the surrounding area for 30 minutes on Feb. 19 at around 10:25 a.m.ET (photo)
Jose Antonio Rodriguez Manfredi, MEDA principal investigator at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) at the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial in Madrid, said: Please confirm our instrument has landed safely.
Those were moments of great intensity and excitement. Finally, after years of work and planning, we received the first data report from MEDA.
“Our system was alive and sent its first meteorological data and images from the SkyCam.”
MEDA is attached to Perseverance’s mast with an extendable arm that is periodically released to check the weather.
The data shows it was just below -4F on the surface of the Jezero crater (pictured) when MEDA was turned on, but dropped to -14F 30 minutes later
MEDA is attached to Perseverance’s mast with an extendable arm that is periodically released to check the weather. It weighs about 12 pounds and can capture wind (both speed and direction), pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature, and radiation (from both the sun and space).
It weighs about 12 kilos and is capable of capturing wind (both speed and direction), pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature and radiation (from both the sun and space).
The system wakes up every hour and, after recording and saving data, goes into sleep mode independent of rover operations.
And MEDA can work even when Perseverance sleeps.
When NASA received the first weather report, they quickly set to work putting it together.
It weighs about 12 pounds and can capture wind, pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature and radiation
MEDA’s radiation and dust sensor showed that Jezero experienced a cleaner atmosphere around the same time than Gale Crater, about 2,300 miles away, according to reports from the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) aboard the Curiosity rover stationed in Gale.
And MEDA’s pressure sensors told the engineers that the pressure on Mars was 718 pascals, well within the 705-735 pascals range predicted by their models for that time on Mars.
The system will collect, store and pass on particles that interact with light, ultimately affecting both temperature and weather.
While these data points help NASA better prepare for Perseverance, the measurements are also vital for future heroes and hobbits in space who will one day travel to Mars.
Manuel de la Torre Juárez, Deputy Principal Investigator for MEDA at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said: “We are very pleased to see MEDA working well.
As Ingenuity hit flight milestones, a MEDA report of the 43rd and 44th Mars days, or sols, from the mission (April 3-4 on Earth) showed a temperature of -7.6 ° F and a low of -117 , 4 ° F at Jezero Crater. MEDA has also measured gusts of wind of about 22 mph
MEDA’s reports will provide a better picture of the surface environment. Data from MEDA and other instrument experiments will reveal more pieces of the puzzles on Mars and help prepare for human exploration. We hope its data will help make our designs stronger and our missions safer. ‘
MEDA can record the temperature at three atmospheric altitudes: 2.76 feet, 4.76 feet and 30.8 meters, in addition to the surface temperature.
The system uses sensors on the body and mast of the rover and an infrared sensor that can measure the temperature almost 100 feet above the rover, which is critical for when the Ingenuity helicopter is flying.
As Ingenuity hit flight milestones, a MEDA report of the 43rd and 44th Mars days, or sols, from the mission (April 3-4 on Earth) showed a temperature of -7.6 ° F and a low of -117 , 4 ° F at Jezero Crater. MEDA has also measured gusts of wind of about 22 mph.
Perseverance, along with his traveling companion Ingenuity, landed on Mars on Feb. 18 with the mission to look for signs of ancient life in the Jezero crater in an effort to help scientists better understand how life on Earth evolved.
NASA MARS 2020: THE MISSION WILL SEARCH THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER AND INGENUITY HELICOPTER FOR LIFE
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission will look for signs of ancient life on the red planet to help scientists better understand how life evolved on Earth.
The main rover named Perseverance will explore an ancient river delta in the Jezero crater, which was once filled with a 1,600-meter deep lake.
The region is believed to have been home to microbial life some 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago, and the rover will examine soil samples to look for evidence of life.
Nasa’s Mars 2020 rover (artist’s impression) will look for signs of ancient life on Mars to help scientists better understand how life evolved on our own planet
The $ 2.5 billion (£ 1.95 billion) Mars 2020 spaceship launched on July 30 with the rover and helicopter inside – and landed successfully on February 18, 2021.
Perseverance landed in the crater and will collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth for further analysis.
A second mission will fly to the planet and return the monsters, perhaps by the late 2020s in partnership with the European Space Agency.
This concept art shows the Mars 2020 rover landing on the red planet via NASA’s ‘sky-crane’ system