MV Astronomy Club

American Perseverance by carol higgins

Perseverance. It is a word that certainly reflects the strength, determination, and resilience of Mohawk Valley residents as we continue to work together and deal with the challenges and serious impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. It also has taken on a new role – Perseverance is also the name of NASA’s latest Mars rover, currently scheduled to launch on July 20 at 9:15 AM from Cape Canaveral.

The rover received its name when NASA announced the winner of their fun contest that ran from August 28 to November 1, 2019. NASA had encouraged K-12 students in the United States to submit a name and include an essay explaining why they proposed their entry. Over 28,000 students responded. In January 2020 the public was invited to vote for one of the nine finalists. On March 5th, contest winner Alexander Mather, a seventh-grader, shared his inspiring essay about Perseverance during a special ceremony at his school. On launch day, Alexander and his family will be at Cape Canaveral to watch the rover begin its six-month journey to Mars.

Starting in 1997, NASA has successfully landed four rovers on Mars: Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. The Curiosity rover mission is still underway (landed August 12, 2012) and returning valuable data as it explores Gale Crater. Each mission added to our understanding of the ancient past and cur

rent conditions of the planet, answering some questions but raising new ones. Perseverance is the most sophisticated explorer ever sent to the Red Planet. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Image Credit: NASA size of a small SUV, it is equipped with seven advanced science instruments, a robotic arm, nineteen cameras, and unique scent, and Landing systems will take conexperiments and tools. The target landing trol of a series of critical events that ocsite is Jezero Crater, a large impact crater cur within a matter of about 7 minutes to Hanny’s Voorwerp. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, W. Keel, Galaxy Zoo Team near the equator selected because sciensteer the rover toward a safe landing site. tists believe it held a lake about 3 to 4 bilAs the descent begins through the Marlion years ago. tian atmosphere, its heat shield reaches

Primary mission goals include: search 3,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Friction then for evidence of past microbial life, drill slows the “spacecraft” from 13,200 mph 39 core samples of surface materials and to 1,000 mph, and a parachute opens. The seal the tubes for a future return mission, heat shield falls away, and the protective evaluate the geology of various sites, backshell and parachute separate. Finaland monitor weather and climate condily, Perseverance is slowly lowered to tions. An experimental device intended the surface by the cables of a Sky Crane to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide (which safely “flies” away). Once the in the atmosphere will be tested, and new rover touches down it will transmit a staalgorithms and sensors to give the rover tus report to the Mars 2020 mission team, enhanced self-driving capability will be then perform a series of self-tests before it validated. For the first time, a technolobegins its trek. gy demonstration by a small helicopter The launch “window” is July 20 named Ingenuity will attempt five short through August 11. If the launch is deflights. Yes, a helicopter, whose name was layed, the next opportunity will be Sepsuggested by high school junior Vaneeza tember 2022! For the latest status updates Rupani. But first, the rover has to survive and to learn more about the Mars 2020 the trip, then attempt an extremely danmission, Perseverance rover, and Ingenugerous landing on Mars scheduled for ity helicopter, visit the https://mars.nasa. February 18, 2021, at 3:30 PM. gov/mars2020 website.

During its cruise to Mars, the one-ton Wishing you clear skies and good rover is tucked inside a protective shell. health! • On landing day, the intelligent Entry, De

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