The Perseverance rover is in a healthy state on Mars. The rover has tested its instruments and all are working fine. It has just clicked a selfie-and transmitted it to Earth station. It has also sent some stunning photos of the planet. The selfie that the rover has sent is a high-resolution color photo. The selfie was clicked at the time of landing. The photo is part of a video captured by several cameras of the rover. The NASA rover landed on the Red Planet’s surface on February 18. It touched down at Jezero crater. Perseverance is the ninth rover that NASA has successfully landed on Mars in the last five decades.
NASA in a statement said that the Curiosity rover had sent a stop-motion movie of its touchdown. Curiosity arrived on Mars in 2012. But the Perseverance rover’s cameras captured a video of the descent. The selfie was taken from footage. It added that Perseverance’s cameras are different from the past rovers’ cameras. A majority of the cameras are capable of capturing colorful images on the Red Planet’s surface. The rover’s two of the Hazard Cameras activated to record views soon after the landing. The cameras captured front and rear views of the vehicles. The selfie shows Perseverance’s one of the wheels in the Martian dirt.
Perseverance’s objective is to search for signs of microbial life on the planet. It has a two-meter-long arm. The arm will drill down the Marian surface to collect rock samples for a possible return to Earth in the future. NASA is working with the ESA to return the samples. The space agency said that Perseverance will also characterize the geology and past climate. The mission’s findings will also pave a pivotal role in paving the way for human exploration. The rover is also carrying a helicopter known as Ingenuity. The rover will look for a flat surface to release Ingenuity. The mini-helicopter is attached to Perseverance’s belly. This will be the first time when any agency will attempt to fly a helicopter on Mars.
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