{"id":44850,"date":"2023-05-12T06:40:37","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T06:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=58412"},"modified":"2023-05-12T07:33:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T07:33:55","slug":"complete-guide-to-nasas-perseverance-rover","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/complete-guide-to-nasas-perseverance-rover\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete guide to NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance is searching for signs of ancient life and liquid water in Jezero Crater on Mars. <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 12 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover landed on the surface of Mars, touching down in Jezero Crater on the Red Planet at 20:55 UTC on 18 February 2021.<\/p>\n

The successful landing was the culmination of a 203-day journey from Earth that saw it travel a total of 472 million km.<\/p>\n

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The Perseverance Mars rover team look on in Mission Control at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the mission\u2019s first images of the Red Planet arrive. Credits: NASA\/Bill Ingalls<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In a familiar sight for anyone who closely follows NASA\u2019s robotic space probe missions, planetary scientists and engineers erupted into applause once the successful landing had been confirmed.<\/p>\n

Perseverance is now scouring the surface of Mars searching for organic molecules among the rocks and sediment, or other evidence that might show whether Mars once hosted life in its ancient history.<\/p>\n

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The first image of Mars captured by NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover launched<\/a> on 30 July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and is \u00a0the latest NASA mission on its way to Mars.<\/p>\n

It is one of a trio of missions that launched to Mars in 2020<\/a> including the Emirates Hope probe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what is the Perseverance rover, what can it do, and what do NASA scientists hope it will achieve on the surface of Mars?<\/p>\n

Video: Perseverance rover lands on Mars<\/strong><\/h2>\n