It has been one year since we all heard words “touchdown confirmed” spoken by Swati Mohan, the Mars 2020 guidance & controls operations lead, confirming that the Perseverance rover had successfully landed on Mars. The rover set out on an ambitious journey in search for signs of ancient microbial life, to continue the exploration of past habitability of Mars. What has been accomplished in those 365 days? Let’s take a look at some of the major milestones over the past year.
Landing at Jezero Crater
After years of study of over 60 potential landing sites, scientists from around the world selected Jezero Crater as the one for Perseverance. The site allows Perseverance to study and examine rocks that are as old as 3.6 billion years. On day one, the rover accomplished something that already set it apart: it landed “in the most challenging terrain on Mars ever targeted.” The intense landing was only made possible by the newly-developed Range Trigger and Terrain-Relative Navigation technology, which the rover executed to perfection with a successful touchdown on February 18, 2021. The successful landing also provided us a stunning video of a rover touching down on Mars — a sight that truly takes your breath away. Perseverance is only getting started in the search of past life at Jezero but has already provided key analysis of the terrain.
The Perseverance rover successfully landed on the surface of Mars on February 18, 2021. (NASA)
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
With a series of unprecedented accomplishments that made headlines back here on Earth, it’s no secret that Perseverance had a plus one on its journey to Mars. Ingenuity, the tiny experimental helicopter that hitched a ride to the Red Planet attached to the bottom of the rover, has surpassed expectations and continues to prove that teamwork on Mars is not only possible but also beneficial in a variety of ways. Perseverance and Ingenuity have worked together to achieve the very first flight on another planet and Ingenuity has supported Perseverance’s missions by scouting potential routes for its exploration.
A ‘selfie’ taken by the Perseverance rover with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in the background. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Mars Photographer
Various cameras and imaging instruments that Perseverance carries have provided us with a year’s worth of truly astonishing, never before seen pictures of Mars. The rover has snapped over 100,000 images since its time of the surface. Given that many of these images are transferred to us in high-resolution, they are undoubtedly lock-screen or wallpaper worthy. Not only has Perseverance provided us with detailed scientific images of the surface, it has also taken a “selfie,” photographed Martian sunsets, and captured Ingenuity in flight.
An enhanced-color image of Jezero Crater taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard Perseverance rover. (NASA)
On its 257th Martian day (sol), Perseverance snapped this image at sunset on the Red Planet. (NASA)
Going the Distance
Since landing on the surface of the Red Planet, the rover has traveled almost two miles and accomplished the longest distance covered by any vehicle driving on Mars. Perseverance travelled just over 1,000 feet on February 14, 2022, doing so on AutoNav, an autonomous onboard software that allows for avoiding obstacles such as rocks, or areas that would potentially be problematic for the rover to maneuver around.
Perseverance snapped this view of a hill called “Santa Cruz” on Mars. (NASA)
Sampling and Analyzing
Perseverance has already begun gathering, analyzing, and storing samples from the Martian surface. In total to date, the rover has collected six samples of rocks and atmosphere, some or all of which could be returned to Earth in the future. When collecting samples, the rover utilizes its Mastcam-Z camera system to capture images of the sample, send the image to Earth for additional analysis, and once confirmed, stores the sample in its tube.
Composite image of the first borehole drilled by Perseverance rover on Mars. (NASA)
Perseverance and its trusty sidekick Ingenuity have had an exciting first year on Mars. As they continue to explore the Red Planet and conduct more science, we cannot wait to see what their experiments reveal.
We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.