- NASA’s Mars 2020 mission is nearing its landing date, which is expected to take just a few weeks.
- The mission, which includes both the Perseverance rover and the Mars Ingenuity helicopter, is hinged on a successful landing that NASA currently largely does not control.
- The landing sequence is largely automated, so NASA engineers have little choice but to sit back and hope for the best.
When NASA launched its Mars 2020 mission last year, it was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The mission, which has traveled through space for the past few months, is scheduled to arrive on the surface of Mars on Feb. 18, and NASA is counting down the seconds until that landing occurs.
One of the biggest hurdles still standing between NASA and a successful Mars 2020 mission is the landing of the rover capsule itself. The so-called “seven minutes of terror” that NASA often talks about in regards to landing is essentially a seven-minute window where the spacecraft begins its descent and, if all goes as planned, delivers the most technologically advanced machine ever. for space is built. exploration to the surface of the planet.
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In a new blog post, NASA offers a glimpse of where the mission stands and the potential pitfalls associated with it:
The spacecraft has about 25.6 million miles (41.2 million kilometers) left on its 292.5 million miles (470.8 million kilometers) journey and is currently closing that distance at 1.6 miles per second (2.5 kilometers per second). Once at the top of the Red Planet’s atmosphere, an action-packed seven-minute descent awaits – complete with temperatures equal to the surface of the sun, supersonic parachute inflation, and the first-ever autonomous guided landing on Mars.
Due to the distance between Mars and Earth, it is impossible to control the spacecraft in real time. Commands would take minutes to reach their destination, so it’s up to the spacecraft to account for any variables that could threaten descent and landing.
If the spacecraft is successful and the landing goes smoothly, the potential for new discoveries on Mars is enormous. The Perseverance rover is the most advanced piece of hardware ever sent to Mars, and it will be able to tell scientists about the Red Planet that has never been studied in such a way before.
“Perseverance’s advanced scientific instruments will not only aid in the hunt for fossilized microbial life, but will also expand our understanding of the geology of Mars and its past, present and future,” said Ken Farley of Caltech, a scientist working on the Mars 2020 mission. a statement. “Our science team has been busy planning the best way to work with what we expect will be a firefight of advanced data. That’s the kind of ‘problem’ we look forward to. “
We can’t wait to see what happens.
Mike Wehner has spent the last decade reporting on technology and video games, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, appearing in USA Today, Time.com and numerous other web and print outlets. His love of reporting comes second to his gaming addiction.