NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars on the 18th February 2021. It’s the most advanced robot NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet, and it has been doing some very important work.
1. Looking for Life Long Ago
Scientists believe that Mars used to have rivers and lakes, just like Earth. That means it might have been home to tiny life forms called microbes. Perseverance is on a mission to find clues, called “biosignatures”, that might show ancient life once lived there!
It carries cool tools like SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) and PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry), which help look closely at rocks and soil to see if they can detect signs of past life.
2. Landing in a Special Spot
Perseverance landed in a very interesting place called Jezero Crater. A long time ago, it was a lake with a river that formed a delta (looks kind of like a fan or triangle and is made from sand, mud and similar things), just like the ones we have on Earth! That delta might have preserved important clues about Mars’ past life.
3. Studying Mars’ Past
The Perseverance rover isn’t just hunting for life. It’s also a scientist on wheels, studying Mars’ rocks and weather to understand what the planet was like a long time ago. It is also helping to work out why it turned into a cold, dusty desert.
4. A Name That Means Never Giving Up
The name “Perseverance” means to keep going, even when things get tough. That’s what this rover (and the team behind it) is all about. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team kept working to get it ready, and even added a special plaque to thank health workers and inspire people around the world.
5. Collecting Martian Souvenirs
Perseverance will be the first rover to collect samples of Martian rock and soil and leave them in little tubes on the surface. One day, another mission will pick them up and bring them back to Earth, so scientists can study them.
6. Testing Technology for Future Astronauts
This mission is also about preparing for humans to visit Mars someday! Perseverance will test new technology, like a machine that makes oxygen out of Mars’ air (called MOXIE), and smart systems that help it drive and land safely. There is also a small helicopter called Ingenuity that has flown on Mars to take extra photos and videos from above the ground.
7. You’re Going Too!
This mission has more cameras than any space mission before, so you can see amazing pictures and videos of Mars. There’s even a microphone so we can hear sounds from Mars.
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