In this episode, the Ingenuity helicopter
finds eerie spacecraft wreckage, then loses contact with the rover. Meanwhile,
Perseverance spots a bright object and finally reaches the towering delta face.
This video is part of a series, documenting the Perseverance rover and
Ingenuity helicopter every 3 months.
It s Sol 359, and Perseverance finds
itself surrounded by rocks.
The rover turns around and looks the other way,
drawing the same conclusion - more rocks!
Upon closer inspection, some of the rocks
turn out to be quite interesting.
In this one, a large crack can be seen.
And look at the layering beneath this rock, it s almost like something you d
see from a stream on Earth.
On Sol 362, a hitchhiker is spotted inside
one of the rover s wheels. This rock likely got caught in the wheel during a cross-slope
drive, where the rover moves diagonally across a slope. It poses no threat to the mission
and should eventually fall out on its own.
The rover is now gearing up for its
longest and fastest drive so far.
Meanwhile, the Ingenuity helicopter
takes to the sky for its 20th flight, scouting ahead for the rover and
taking some colour pictures of the terrain. The ground beyond the
rocks looks relatively safe.
On Sol 368, the team orders the rover to focus
its camera on its own body, to see the level of dust accumulation. These images show what 1 year
on the Martian surface can do to a rover.
Before departing on the long drive to
the delta front, Perseverance takes a drill sample of a rock named Sid . The team
uses an algorithm called prodapt to control the amount of force and percussion. The
algorithm ranges from level 0 to level 20, with the level increasing or decreasing depending
on the progress through the rock. Sid required the most force of any rock drilled yet.
Perseverance now enters the Rapid Traverse phase, aiming to quickly reach the delta
for its next science campaign.
This map shows the route to the delta. The
rover will go up around Seitah and on to a location named The Three Forks .
The rover's advanced self-driving technology allows it to "think while driving"; processing images on the move and
navigating based on those images.
After a little driving, the rover takes a quick
look at the start of the delta. A small crater can be seen in the foreground. The main portion of
the delta is located off-screen on the right.
Perseverance is now driving faster than any
previous rover and has broken records for the distance travelled in one day. It is making
rapid progress on very smooth terrain and has now covered a total of 4.1 miles, or 6.6 kilometres
in total, driving about one mile per week.
As Perseverance nears the delta, excitement
grows on Earth. If Mars had life in the past, it s very possible that we could see fossilized
remains in the layers making up the delta.
As the rover moves closer, the towering
delta unveils its true scale. Climbing directly up the delta could spell
disaster for Perseverance.
The rover makes a brief stop to observe a Martian
solar eclipse. The moon seen here is Phobos, the largest of the 2 Martian moons.
This video is the highest definition observation of a Martian solar eclipse ever taken.
The eclipse lasted a little over 40 seconds in real time. Scientists can use these observations
to measure subtle shifts in the moons orbit over time, which can reveal information about the
composition of the Martian crust and mantle.
On Sol 401, the team at NASA spot something
in one of the images sent back. It appears to be a part of the parachute that helped
the rover land safely. You can clearly see the red and white coloured bands.
On Sol 402, Perseverance looks towards the eroded eastern edge of the delta.
A deposit of boulders at the edge of the delta, may have been moved there by
high-energy floods in the ancient past.
The rover captures a video of its
driving during Sols 404 and 405, making good use of its auto-navigation.
Perseverance drove approximately 1700 feet, or just over half a kilometre over both Sols.
The video is sped up by a factor of 200.
This image, taken on Sol 406, shows a striking
portion of the delta. The rover is expected to as Kodiac , that we previously saw from
afar in the first year of exploration. This closer examination provides a good look
at the layers making up the formation.
Perseverance has now completed its "Rapid
Traverse" mode and is now in the Delta Front Campaign. Geologists will investigate
the boundary between the rocks of the crater floor and those that make up the delta.
On Sol 411, the rover is looking out to an area close to the delta named Hogwallow Flats
, and scientists spot something interesting in the distance. A bright, shiny object
can be seen tucked under a rock. For now, it s given the imaginative nickname bright
material and scientists hope to get closer to it as part of the planned route. The object is
estimated to be around 30 centimetres long.
Meanwhile, Ingenuity takes to the sky for
it s 26th flight and captures something truly remarkable. It s the parachute from
the descent stage that we spotted earlier, along with the backshell.
The helicopter captures 10 colour images of the crash site, from different
angles. These images could help ensure safer landings for future rovers.
For the helicopters 27th flight, the Perseverance team asked if it could scout an area
called "Fortun Ridge." Ingenuity's survey will allow scientists to compare the Flight 27 images
with data collected by Perseverance to better understand the history of the crater floor and the
forces that were at play billions of years ago.
However, after this flight, Ingenuity experienced
a communication dropout with the Perseverance rover due to a low-power state, possibly
triggered by a seasonal increase in dust and lower temperatures from the oncoming
Martian winter. Ingenuity relies on its solar-charged batteries, and the increased dust
in the air presents a significant challenge in charging the helicopter's batteries to a
level that will allow important components to remain energized throughout the night. The
team is commanding the rotorcraft to adjust how it handles its heaters to maintain
a battery charge through the night.
Adrian Brown, Deputy Program Scientist at NASA,
imagined what Perseverance might be feeling after losing contact with the helicopter. He wrote
this letter, from Perseverance to Ingenuity:
I have missed you, Little One! We once were
the best of friends. Better partners than Batman and Robin. Two metallic creatures of
Earth, sent to this red wasteland by those tool-bearing monkeys. I protected you in my
mechanical belly for more than seven months. I worry that I ve seen the last of you.
And then who will I share selfies with?
Since we were built back in California and
our fateful mission commenced, we knew we would have to part ways. But I was hoping for
more fanfare. At least a parting handshake.
I well remember that fateful day, when you missed
the comms-check. With the lowering of the Sun, your battery couldn t see you through the
Martian day safely. So, we had to park you in a Sun-drenched spot and hope you come
back to me, as winter comes to an end.
Luckily, just 2 Sols later, on Sol 429,
Ingenuity re-establishes communication. Although it seems like the letter did the
trick, it was probably a case of less dust and more sunlight, allowing Ingenuity s
solar panels to gather more energy.
Perseverance looks up towards the impassable
delta face, taking this panorama on Sol 437.
Climbing the delta will be tricky,
and the team decides the best place to try is Hawksbill Gap , located here.
On Sol 439, Perseverance begins its ascent of "Hawksbill Gap". This is the most challenging
terrain the rover has crossed so far.
In the next episode, Perseverance investigates
the bright material and explores the delta.
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