Mars 2020 Mission is the name of the space expedition, by means of an unmanned vehicle, designed to investigate signs of the possible existence of microbial life in the past of Seayou. The Perseverance rover landed on Mars on February 18, 2021 to collect images and perform analysis of Martian soil samples.
See too: Parker Probe - The probe that almost “touched” the sun
What are the objectives of Mission Mars 2020?
The main objectives of the Mars 2020 Mission are:
- search for environments on Mars soil that in the past were capable of supporting life;
- look for signs of ancient microbial life in rocks capable of preserving signs of ancient life;
- collect samples of Martian rocks and soil;
- test the production of oxygen by the atmosphere of Mars.
![Artistic conception of the Perseverance rover [1]](/f/412dc3f0df8373f5f00ff70fad6129b2.jpg)
Mars 2020 Mission Timeline
The Mars 2020 Mission was divided into the following phases:
- pre-launch activities;
- launch;
- approximation;
- entry, descent and landing;
- checking instruments and first movements;
- surface operations.
Are we going to find out what happened and has happened at each of these steps?
→ Pre-launch activities
In order to define which equipment would be developed to explore the surface of Mars, the North American Space Agency (Nasa) published a notice so that scientists from all over the world could contribute with ideas and projects related to the investigation of ancient life on the Red Planet. This stage of planning was fundamental for clearly define mission objectives and lasted between September 2013 and July 2014.
In the following years, the rocket project was developed with private companies and research centers; the landing site was defined, and, after five years of studies, among 60 candidates, the Scientists Chose Jezero Crater for landing.
The reason for the choice is simple: Jezero was already, 3.5 billion years ago, permeated by rivers and lakes, which may have harbored life. For that reason, the Perseverance robot was developed to analyze the region's rocks and soil for signs of ancient life.
→ Launch
Perseverance is a remotely operated robot and its main objective is to look for signs of ancient life on the surface of Mars. It was released aboard a Atlas V-541 type rocket, in day July 30, 2020, and landed on Mars on February 18, 2021.
See too: Myths and truths about man's arrival on the moon
→ Approximation
Aboard the Atlas V-541 rocket, Perseverance left the Earth at a speed of 39,600 km/h and then started for the long cruise phase of the Mars 2020 Mission. THE trip to Mars lasted almost seven months. During that time, Perseverance covered a distance of approximately 480 million kilometers, and the NASA engineers adjusted the spacecraft's route whenever necessary, ensuring a smooth landing in the crater of Jezera.
![Artistic representation of the cruise, capsule, descent, rover and heat shield stages. [2]](/f/2f1cbd5c7bfed0700d7ffb8e074ad821.jpg)
→ Entry, descent and landing
THE Prohibitedof the rover Perseverance on Mars was the stagemostdelicate and the shortest of the entire mission. The rover entered the atmosphere of Mars at approximately 20,000 km/h and was then carefully programmed to orient so that its heat shield protected it from the great heating caused by friction with the thin atmosphere of Mars. During this process, this heat shield reached temperatures close to 1300 °C.
O heat shield was also responsible for braking the spacecraft, causing its speed to be reduced to just 1600 km/h. At that point, a large supersonic parachute, 21.5 m in diameter, was opened, reducing Perseverance's speed to approximately 200 mph. At that point, he got rid of the input module and started his engines against the ground, 2100 m high.
O Internshipindescent it was the last module to detach from the rover. This only happened at a height of 20 m above the ground of Mars, when the assembly was moving at a speed of about 2.7 km/h. At this point, the rover was suspended by a system of cables and then slowly brought to the ground. The instant the rover detected the ground, the decide stage activated its propulsion and was launched away from the rover's landing region, in order to avoid a collision between them.
![Rover Perseverance and descent module touching the ground of Mars. [3]](/f/43f8bc73b9d2b6bf6e3c55f1fff146d7.jpg)
The most amazing thing is that the entire landing process took about seven minutes. It may seem like little, but these minutes became known as the "seven minutes of terror”, since all the signals emitted by the rover only reached Earth 11 minutes later. For this reason, when landing confirmation was received, the rover had already landed on Mars, completely autonomously. The impossibility of synchronization, combined with the fact that only 40% of the probes sent to Mars manage to land on its soil, created a huge expectation in the entire scientific community International.
Ingenuity and the first flight on another planet
The Ingenuity helicopter marked the history of space exploration by successfully carrying out the first powered flight on another planet. The flight took place completely autonomously, as communication between Earth and Mars it can take between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on the distance between the two planets.
![First Ingenuity Helicopter Flight [4]](/f/2aad7a75b19b7b78c9dc9573f6e340a3.jpg)
Ingenuity landed on Mars coupled to the Perseverance spacecraft and faced a lot of technical challenges to be able to perform the feat of rising 3 m above the Martian ground and flying for 30 seconds. What may seem like little to many is actually a huge achievement for astronomers, as we now know that it's possible to fly, even in the extreme conditions that Mars' atmosphere offers.
In addition to having a density very low, that is, being extremely rarefied, the aMars' atmosphere is too cold (which can reach -90°C), so Ingenuity engineers needed to ensure that the drone, which supplies itself with solar energy, was able to stay warm at 7°C at all times. In addition, its propellers needed to rotate at least 2500 rpm for the 1.8 kg drone to be able to sustain itself.
Image credits
[1] NASA/JPL-Caltech (reproduction)
[2] NASA/JPL-Caltech (reproduction)
[3] NASA/JPL-Caltech (reproduction)
[4] NASA/JPL-Caltech (reproduction)
By Rafael Hellerbrock
Physics teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/missao-mars-2020.htm
