Examining some of the components that allowed the Perseverance rover to reach the Martian surface safely can provide valuable insights for future missions.
NASA’s Helicopter Ingenuity Mars recently studied both the parachute that helped the Perseverance rover land on Mars and the conical rear shell that protected the rover in deep space during its fiery descent to the Martian surface on February 18, 2021. The Mars Sampling Program asked if Ingenuity could provide that perspective. The result was 10 color aerial images taken on April 19 during Flight 26 of Ingenuity.
“NASA has expanded Ingenuity’s flights to pioneer flights like this,” said Teddy Tsanetos, head of Ingenuity’s team at NASA’s Southern California Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Every time we are in the air, Ingenuity covers a new earth and offers a perspective that no previous planetary mission can achieve. The Mars Sample Return reconnaissance application is a perfect example of the usefulness of Mars air platforms.
This image of the back shell and supersonic parachute of Perseverance was taken by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its 26th flight to Mars on April 19, 2022. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Entering, descending and landing on Mars are fast and stressful not only for Earth’s engineers, but also for the vehicle that withstands gravitational forces, high temperatures and other extreme values that come with entering the atmosphere of Mars at nearly 12,500 mph ( 20,000 km / h). The parachute and the back shell were photographed from a distance by the rover Perseverance.
But those assembled from helicopters (from an aerial point of view and closer) provide more detail. The images have the potential to help ensure safer landings for future spacecraft such as the Mars Sample Return Lander, which is part of a multi-mission campaign that will return Perseverance samples of Martian rocks, atmosphere and sediment back to Earth for detailed analysis. .
“Perseverance was the best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachuting to touchdown,” said Ian Clark of JPL, a former Perseverance systems engineer and now head of the Mars Sample Return ascent phase. “But Ingenuity’s images offer a different perspective. If they either claim that our systems worked the way we think they do, or provide even a set of engineering data that we can use to plan the return of samples from Mars, that would be amazing. And if not, the photos are still phenomenal and inspiring. ”
The Perseverance hull, the supersonic parachute, and the associated debris field are seen scattered across the surface of Mars in this image taken by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its 26th flight on April 19, 2022. Credit: NASA / JPL -Caltech
In the images of the upright rear shell and the field of debris resulting from the impact of the surface at a speed of about 78 mph (126 kmh), the protective coating of the rear shell seems to have remained intact during entry into the atmosphere of Mars. Many of the 80 high-strength suspension lines connecting the rear shell to the parachute are visible and also look intact. Scattered and covered in dust, only about a third of the orange-and-white parachute can be seen – 70.5 feet (21.5 meters) wide, it was the largest ever deployed on Mars – can be seen, but the sunshade shows no signs of damage from the supersonic airflow during inflation. It will take several weeks of analysis for a more final sentence.
Flight 26 Maneuvers
Ingenuity’s 159-second flight began at 11:37 a.m. local time on April 19, one year after its first flight. Flying 26 feet (8 meters) above ground level, Ingenuity traveled 630 feet (192 meters) southeast and took its first photo. The helicopter then headed southwest and then northwest, taking pictures of pre-planned locations along the route. After collecting 10 images in its flash memory, Ingenuity headed 246 feet (75 meters) west and landed. Total distance traveled: 1181 feet (360 meters). With the completion of Flight 26, the helicopter rose more than 49 minutes and traveled 3.9 miles (6.2 kilometers).
This image of Perseverance’s hull and parachute was collected by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its 26th flight on April 19, 2022. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
“Ingenuity did a lot of maneuvers to get the shots we needed, but we were confident because there was a complex maneuver on flights 10, 12 and 13,” said Howard Grip, Ingenuity’s co-pilot at JPL. “Our landing site set us up well to depict an area of interest to the Perseverance research team on Flight 27, near the Séítah ridge.”
The new area of operations in the dry river delta of Jezero Crater marks a dramatic departure from the modest, relatively flat terrain over which Ingenuity has flown since its first flight. A few miles wide, the fan-shaped delta forms where an ancient river overflowed into the lake that once filled Jezero Crater. Rising more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the crater floor and filled with jagged rocks, sloping surfaces, protruding rocks and sand-filled pockets, the delta promises to contain many geological revelations – perhaps even proof that Mars existed. billions of microscopic life. from years ago.
Upon reaching the delta, Ingenuity’s first orders may be to help determine which of the two dry river channels must be climbed to reach the top of the delta. Along with route planning assistance, the data provided by the helicopter will help the Perseverance team assess potential scientific objectives. Ingenuity may even be called upon to depict geological features too far for the rover to reach, or to reconnoiter landing areas and surface areas where sample caches can be deposited for the Mars Return Program.
More on ingenuity
Helicopter Ingenuity Mars was built by JPL, which also manages the NASA headquarters project. It is maintained by NASA’s Directorate for Scientific Missions. NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant analysis of flight performance and technical assistance during the development of Ingenuity. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm and SolAero also provided design assistance and key vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and built a helicopter delivery system to Mars.
At NASA headquarters, Dave Lavery is the executive director of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter program.
More on perseverance
A key goal for the Perseverance mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the geology of the planet and the past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet and will be the first mission to collect and preserve Martian rocks and regolith (broken rocks and dust).
NASA’s next missions, in collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), will send a spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s approach to Earth-to-Mars exploration, which includes Artemis’ missions to the moon to help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
JPL, which is being operated for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and operated the operations of the rover Perseverance.
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