NASA Perseverance Rover: Exploring Mars

[mosaix]

Nasa's Perseverance rover is bearing down on Mars

The biggest, most sophisticated vehicle ever sent to land on another planet

www.bbc.co.uk

The US space agency's Perseverance rover is now just three weeks from arriving at Mars.

The robot's current distance to the Red Planet is still some 4.5 million km (3 million miles), but that gap is closing at a rapid rate. The biggest, most sophisticated vehicle ever sent to land on another planet, the Nasa robot is being targeted at a near-equatorial crater called Jezero.

Touchdown is expected shortly before 2100 GMT on Thursday 18 February.

Another landing using the terrifying 'skycrane'.

 

[.matthew.]

I see a promising future in salvaging all these probes one day

 

[mosaix]

Some excellent photographs of Mars from the CaSSIS mission:

CaSSIS mission: The camera capturing Mars' craters and canyons

The instrument takes images of dust storms, frost deposits and minerals on the Red Planet's surface.

www.bbc.co.uk

I especially like the 'sedimentary beds' photo.

 

[mosaix]

Interesting link to a video simulation of tomorrow's landing.

Mars 2020 Entry Descent Landing

eyes.nasa.gov

Also I've seen reference to NASA showing live footage of the landing on their YouTube channel but I can't find any links.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Wishing it good luck tomorrow!

 

[Wayne Mack]

To make the news even sweeter, Krispy Kreme launches Mars Doughnut Thursday in honor of NASA Perseverance Rover's Martian landing

 

[RJM Corbet]

Interesting link to a video simulation of tomorrow's landing.

Mars 2020 Entry Descent Landing

eyes.nasa.gov

Also I've seen reference to NASA showing live footage of the landing on their YouTube channel but I can't find any links.

That's just incredible. Thanks Mosaix. It actually deliberately accelerates in order to create the necessary drag/lift ratio before hitting the atmosphere at twelve thousand miles an hour, around seven minutes from touchdown. Astounding engineering! And it can all be lost in a microsecond failure.

 

[Vertigo]

That's just incredible. Thanks Mosaix. It actually deliberately accelerates in order to create the necessary drag/lift ratio before hitting the atmosphere at twelve thousand miles an hour, around seven minutes from touchdown. Astounding engineering! And it can all be lost in a microsecond failure.

I believe Apollo 11 entered the Earth's atmosphere at around twice that speed. But then Earth has rather more atmosphere to slow it down!

 

[RJM Corbet]

I believe Apollo 11 entered the Earth's atmosphere at around twice that speed. But then Earth has rather more atmosphere to slow it down!

What clever people we are! But so much can go wrong.
Touchdown around 8.30 pm UK time?

 

[Vertigo]

What clever people we are! But so much can go wrong.
Touchdown 7.15 pm UK time

I thought it was tonight? Nasa website says 10 hours 36 minutes away.

 

[RJM Corbet]

I thought it was tonight? Nasa website says 10 hours 36 minutes away.

Yes. I picked that up and edited it, lol

 

[RJM Corbet]

I've seen reference to NASA showing live footage of the landing on their YouTube channel but I can't find any links.

NASA website You Tube Perseverance landing live:

Watch Online: TV Schedule - NASA

TV schedule, upcoming program information about NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.

mars.nasa.gov

 

[mosaix]

NASA website You Tube Perseverance landing live:

Watch Online: TV Schedule - NASA

TV schedule, upcoming program information about NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.

mars.nasa.gov

Thanks @RJM Corbet

About 20 minutes to go!

 

[Robert Zwilling]

9,000 miles to go. How fast is it going?

 

[RJM Corbet]

9,000 miles to go. How fast is it going?

Not sure. But they drop ballast a couple of minutes before hitting the atmosphere in order to accelerate up to the correct speed they need to hit fast enough to create enough drag to slow down ... weird ... if they hit too slow, they don't slow down enough, I think?

 

[mosaix]

9,000 miles to go. How fast is it going?

Hits the Martian atmosphere at 12,000 mph.

 

[RJM Corbet]

Thanks @RJM Corbet

About 20 minutes to go!

This NASA You Tube feed is rubbish so far, imo? It's kids NASA PR stuff, there's no information coming through about what's happening ...

Ok, getting better ... no comment about the masks ...
Hang in there ...

 

[RJM Corbet]

Touchdown confirmed! It's just incredible!

 

[mosaix]

Wow!

 

[.matthew.]