NASA Prepares to Launch the Mars Rover Perseverance

NASA is all set to launch its car-sized rover named Perseverance and a robotic helicopter named Ingenuity to the Red Planet, Mars, on July 30, in order to find out the answer for the most intriguing question – Did human life ever existed in Mars? It will search for signs of past microbial life and examine the climate of the planet along with the geology of the area known as Jezero Crater, which was once home to an ancient lake and a river delta that may have collected and buried Martian microbes and locked them in rocks made from compacted clay or mud.

This mission is expected to reach Mars on February 18, 2021, after travelling for a period of six and a half months.

Once landed there, the Ingenuity helicopter will be deployed with it becoming the first-ever aircraft to fly on another planet. This 1.8 kg helicopter will be a pioneer for future rotorcraft that scout ahead of robotic rovers and even the astronauts. Ingenuity will attempt up to five flights over a period of 30 days, clawing into the thin air of the Mars with four 1.2 me long carbon fibre blades spinning at 2400 rpm.

The primary mission of the rover, part of the $2.7 billion project, will last around one Mars year spanning about 687 earth days.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020