Perseverance lands on Mars: Jezero’s terrain and samples

Perseverance, the Mars 2020 rover, was designed to study geology, seek possible traces of ancient life and collect rocks for further analysis. Jezero crater was selected for terrain recording an ancient lake and river delta.

Water deposited sediment in the delta, allowing layers to preserve environmental information. Mineral measurements, terrain observations and sampling locations would be combined to reconstruct the area’s history.

References: [1] [2]

Perseverance entered the Martian atmosphere on February 18, 2021. A heat shield absorbed entry heating, a parachute slowed the vehicle, and powered descent controlled the final approach. Terrain-relative navigation compared camera views with onboard maps to select a landing area.

The light-travel time between planets required autonomous descent. Ground teams received reports of completed steps, making extensive pre-flight simulation and testing necessary.

References: [1] [2]

The terminal sky-crane manoeuvre used a powered descent stage above the rover, lowering Perseverance on cables. After its wheels touched the ground, the connections were cut and the stage flew away from the rover.

Perseverance landed safely in Jezero and returned initial images. Flight records allowed researchers to compare simulation with actual velocity, position and control performance.

References: [1] [2]

Mast cameras examined routes, while the arm and instruments studied rocks. Drilled cores could be sealed in sample tubes, with location, appearance and measurements documenting their geological context.

Investigating possible biosignatures requires examining organic material, minerals and their formation environment together. The rover combined field geology and sampling, with cached material prepared for possible later analysis in terrestrial laboratories.

References: [1] [2]