The US space agency NASA has released the first video, photos and sound captured by its Mars explorer Perseverance.
The video shows the explorer, or rover, at various points during his landing on the Red Planet last week.
Some members of the Perseverance team said the video and images were even better than they expected. “It gives me Goosebumps every time I see it, just great, ”said Dave Gruel. He’s the head of the spacecraft’s landing camera team.
Al Chen leads Perseverance’s landing team. He called the photos and video ‘the stuff of our dreams’.
Six color cameras were installed to record all stages of the landing. NASA said the cameras started when the rover was about 7 miles above the surface of Mars.
Flight controllers were also pleased with the thousands of images Perseverance sent to Earth. They said the rover was in very good condition after landing.
Perseverance landed in an area of Mars called Jezero Crater, just north of the planet’s equator. The area contains a large ancient soil. The most important of the six-wheeled explorer mission is collecting Mars earth and rocks to help scientists look for signs of ancient life.
NASA has added 25 cameras to the Perseverance mission – the most ever sent to Mars. The space agency’s latest rover, 2012’s Curiosity, can only produce lower-quality images of Earth’s surface.
NASA said it also received sound from Perseverance. A microphone attached to the rover failed to collect useful data during the actual landing. But it did record sounds from the Jerezo crater after it landed.
NASA said that about 10 seconds after a 60-second recording, the Martian wind can be heard for a few seconds. Equipment noises were also recorded while the rover was operating on the surface.
The video and images gave NASA the opportunity to see the effectiveness of spacecraft systems – some of which could not be tested on Earth. “So this is the first time we’ve had the opportunity as an engineer to actually see what we’ve designed,” said Matt Wallace, a project officer with NASA’s Mars 2020 program.
Thomas Zurbuchen is the head of NASA’s scientific mission. He said the video and panoramic photos that have captured persistence “come the closest to landing on Mars without donning a pressure suit.”
NASA engineers say the images will help the agency prepare for astronaut flights to Mars in the future. But image scientist Justin Maki noted that the photos and videos can also provide more direct help.
‘I know it’s one difficult years for everyone, ”said Maki. “And we hope these images may help brighten people’s days.”
I am Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story based on reports from NASA, The Associated Press and Reuters. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in this story
Goosebumps v. a roughness of the skin caused by a sudden feeling of cold, fear or excitement
mission nThe flight of a spacecraft to perform a task or job
panoramic adjA very broad view of something
difficult adjDifficult