Touchdown! Perseverance rover successfully lands on Mars
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Volume 63 Number 3 March 2021
Touchdown!
Perseverance rover successfully lands on Mars
NASA/Bill Ingalls
Members of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the first images arrive moments
after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars Feb. 18. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search
for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red
Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. See story, page 4-7.
www.nasa.gov/
X-Press 2
A perfect landing
Armstrong-managed program helped mature technology
By Nicole Quennelle
NASA Flight Opportunities
Program
After a nearly seven-
month journey to Mars,
NASA’s Perseverance rover
landed Feb. 18 at the Red
Planet’s Jezero Crater, a rugged
expanse chosen for its scientific
research and sample collection
possibilities.
But the very features that
make the site fascinating to
scientists also made it a relatively
dangerous place to land – a
challenge that motivated
rigorous testing on Earth for the
lander vision system (LVS) the
rover counted on to safely touch
down.
“There were some large
areas in the landing elipse that NASA/JPL
were fairly safe, but during the The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is equipped with a lander vision system based on terrain-relative navigation, an
actual landing the spacecraft advanced method of autonomously comparing real-time images to preloaded maps that determine the rover’s position
drifted away from those into relative to hazards in the landing area. Divert guidance algorithms and software can then direct the rover around
terrain with numerous rocks those obstacles.
and dunes,” said Andrew
Johnson was confident that LVS
Johnson, principal robotics
would work to land Perseverance
systems engineer at NASA’s Jet
safely because the system allows
Propulsion Laboratory.
the rover to determine its position
“If Perseverance had landed
relative to the ground with
on one of those hazards, it
an accuracy of about 200 feet or
could have been catastrophic
less. That low margin of error and
to the mission,” he added. “But
high degree of assurance are by
the LVS estimated the rover’s
design, and the result of extensive
position correctly and the safe
testing in the lab and in the field.
target selection feature picked a
“We have what we call the
landing site that was surrounded
trifecta of testing,” explained
by hazzards but very safe. The
JPL’s Swati Mohan, guidance,
lander touched down around five
navigation, and control operations
meters from this targeted site.”
lead for Mars 2020.
Te r r a i n - R e l a t i v e
Mohan said that the first two
Navigation (TRN), a mission- Masten Space Systems
testing areas – hardware and
critical technology at the heart Masten’s Xombie VTVL system sits on a launchpad in Mojave, California in
simulation – were done in a lab.
of the LVS, captured photos of December 2014, prepared for a flight test that would help prove lander vision
“That’s where we test every
the Mars terrain in real time and system capabilities for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission.
condition and variable we can.
compared them with onboard
Vacuum, vibration, temperature,
maps of the landing area, hazards and obstacles as needed. out where the rover was relative to
electrical compatibility – we put the
autonomously directing the “The LVS used the position safe spots between those hazards,”
rover to divert around known information from the TRN to figure explained Johnson. Landing technology, page 7
March 2021 3
News
at NASA
First drive
a success
NASA’s Mars 2020
Perseverance rover performed
its first drive on Mars March 4,
covering 21.3 feet (6.5 meters)
across the Martian landscape.
The drive served as a mobility
test that marks just one of many
milestones as team members
check out and calibrate every
system, subsystem and instrument
on Perseverance. Once the rover
begins pursuing its science goals,
AFRC2019-0277-176 NASA/Lauren Hughes regular commutes extending 656
NASA’s all-electric X-57 Maxwell prepares for ground vibration testing, or GVT, at NASA Armstrong. Accomplished feet (200 meters) or more are
in parallel with cruise motor controller testing, the GVT tested the vehicle at various vibration levels, helping engineers expected.
examine and validate the integrity of the vehicle for flight conditions. A goal of X-57 is to help the Federal Aviation “When it comes to wheeled
Administration set certification standards for emerging electric aircraft markets. vehicles on other planets, there
are few first-time events that
X-57 progresses
measure up in significance to
that of the first drive,” said Anais
Zarifian, Mars 2020 Perseverance
rover mobility test bed engineer
at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. “This was our first
High-voltage ground testing set to begin chance to ‘kick the tires’ and take
Perseverance out for a spin. The
for all-electric experimental aircraft rover’s six-wheel drive responded
superbly. We are now confident
By Matt Kamlet as an integrated aircraft, taking a recently redesigned based on our drive system is good to go,
NASA Armstrong Public Affairs critical step closer toward taxi tests lessons learned from previous capable of taking us wherever the
NASA is set to start high- and first flight. testing by the project’s prime science leads us over the next two
voltage functional ground testing The X-57, currently in its first contractor, Empirical Systems years.”
of the agency’s first all-electric configuration as an electric aircraft Aerospace, or ESAero, of San The drive, which lasted about
X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell, called Mod 2, will use a battery Luis Obispo, California. 33 minutes, propelled the rover
which will perform flights to help support system for this phase of These tests will include higher- forward 13 feet (4 meters),
develop certification standards for testing. It will be drawing power power operation of the vehicle. where it then turned in place 150
emerging electric aircraft. NASA is from a large, high-voltage power The first pair of electric cruise degrees to the left and backed
also supporting these new electric supply as development on the motors to fly on the X-57, which up 8 feet (2.5 meters) into its
aircraft by developing quiet, X-plane’s battery control system were delivered by ESAero, will new temporary parking space.
efficient, reliable technology these nears completion. be powered up and activated, To help better understand the
vehicles will need in routine use. Testing is expected to start with allowing engineers to ensure dynamics of a retrorocket landing
The testing will take place at low power, checking the startup the vehicle’s propellers spin as on the Red Planet, engineers used
NASA Armstrong, marking a and shutdown sequences and designed. Perseverance’s Navigation and
pivotal milestone for the project verifying the new motor control This will be followed by Hazard Avoidance Cameras to
as NASA proceeds from the software boots up and controls the throttling up the motors to make image the spot where Perseverance
component design and prototype motors as expected. This software touched down, dispersing
phase to operation of the vehicle and other major components were X-57, page 7 Martian dust with plumes from
its engines.
X-Press 4
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Members of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission were jubilant on Feb. 18 after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars. They are in Mis-
sion Control at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Success on Mars
By DC Agle
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory This high-resolution
The largest, most advanced rover still image is part of a
NASA has sent to another world video taken by several
touched down on Mars Feb. 18, cameras as NASA’s
after a 203-day journey traversing Perseverance rover
293 million miles (472 million touched down on Mars
kilometers). Confirmation of the on Feb. 18. A camera
successful touchdown was announced aboard the descent
in mission control at NASA’s Jet stage captured this
Propulsion Laboratory. shot.
Packed with groundbreaking
technology, the Mars 2020
mission launched July 30, 2020, from
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
in Florida. The Perseverance rover
mission marks an ambitious first step
in the effort to collect Mars samples
NASA/JPL-Caltech
March 2021 5
NASA/JPL-Caltech
This is the first high-resolution, color image to be sent back by the hazard cameras (Hazcams) on the underside of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover after its
landing on Feb. 18.
and return them to Earth. Planet.” life using instruments too large and Martian equator. Scientists have
“This landing is one of those About the size of a car, the complex to send to the Red Planet. determined that 3.5 billion years
pivotal moments for NASA, 2,263-pound (1,026-kilogram) “The mission will enable the ago the crater had its own river
the United States, and space robotic geologist and astrobiologist first pristine samples from carefully delta and was filled with water.
exploration globally – when will undergo several weeks of testing documented locations on another The power system that provides
we know we are on the cusp before it begins its two-year science planet to take another step closer electricity and heat for Perseverance
of discovery and sharpening investigation of Mars’ Jezero Crater. to being returned to Earth,” said through its exploration of
our pencils, so to speak, to While the rover will investigate Thomas Zurbuchen, associate Jezero Crater is a Multi-Mission
rewrite the textbooks,” said the rock and sediment of Jezero’s administrator for science at NASA. Radioisotope Thermoelectric
acting NASA Administrator ancient lakebed and river delta to “Perseverance is the first step in Generator, or MMRTG. The U.S.
Steve Jurczyk. “The Mars 2020 characterize the region’s geology bringing back rock and regolith Department of Energy (DOE)
Perseverance mission embodies and past climate, a fundamental from Mars. We don’t know what provided it to NASA through an
our nation’s spirit of persevering part of its mission is astrobiology, these pristine samples from Mars ongoing partnership to develop
even in the most challenging including the search for signs of will tell us. But what they could power systems for civil space
of situations, inspiring, ancient microbial life. To that end tell us is monumental – including applications.
and advancing science and the Mars Sample Return campaign, that life might have once existed Equipped with seven primary
exploration. The mission itself being planned by NASA and ESA beyond Earth.” science instruments, the
personifies the human ideal of (European Space Agency), will Some 28 miles (45 kilometers) most cameras ever sent to Mars,
persevering toward the future allow scientists on Earth to study wide, Jezero Crater sits on the and its exquisitely complex sample
and will help us prepare for samples collected by Perseverance western edge of Isidis Planitia, a
human exploration of the Red to search for definitive signs of past giant impact basin just north of the Mars, page 6
X-Press 6
Mars... from page 5
caching system – the first will they deploy the helicopter
of its kind sent into space – to the surface for the flight test
Perseverance will scour the Jezero phase. If successful, Ingenuity
region for fossilized remains of could add an aerial dimension to
ancient microscopic Martian exploration of the Red Planet in
life, taking samples along the which such helicopters serve as a
way. scouts or make deliveries for future
“Perseverance is the most astronauts away from their base.
sophisticated robotic geologist Once Ingenuity’s test flights are
ever made, but verifying that complete, the rover’s search for
microscopic life once existed evidence of ancient microbial life
carries an enormous burden of will begin in earnest.
proof,” said Lori Glaze, director “Perseverance is more than a
of NASA’s Planetary Science rover, and more than this amazing
Division. “While we’ll learn a NASA/JPL-Caltech
collection of men and women
lot with the great instruments that built it and got us here,” said
we have aboard the rover, it In this illustration, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter stands on the Red John McNamee, project manager
may very well require the far Planet’s surface as NASA’s Perseverance rover (partially visible) rolls away. of the Mars 2020 Perseverance
more capable laboratories rover mission at JPL. “It is even
and instruments back here on On the surface of Mars, The rover chassis is home to three more than the 10.9 million
Earth to tell us whether our Perseverance’s science instruments science instruments, as well. The people who signed up to be part
samples carry evidence that Mars will have an opportunity to Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface of our mission. This mission is
once harbored life.” scientifically shine. Mastcam-Z is Experiment (RIMFAX) is the first about what humans can achieve
a pair of zoomable science cameras ground-penetrating radar on the when they persevere. We made it
Paving the Way for Human on Perseverance’s remote sensing surface of Mars and will be used this far. Now, watch us go.”
Missions mast, or head, that creates high- to determine how different layers
“Landing on Mars is always an resolution, color 3D panoramas of of the Martian surface formed over More About the Mission
incredibly difficult task and we the Martian landscape. Also located time. The data could help pave the A primary objective for
are proud to continue building on the mast, the SuperCam uses a way for future sensors that hunt Perseverance’s mission on Mars
on our past success,” said JPL pulsed laser to study the chemistry for subsurface water ice deposits. is astrobiology research, including
Director Michael Watkins. “But, of rocks and sediment and has its Also with an eye on future the search for signs of ancient
while Perseverance advances own microphone to help scientists Red Planet explorations, the microbial life. The rover will
that success, this rover is also better understand the property of Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource characterize the planet’s geology
blazing its own path and daring the rocks, including their hardness. Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) and past climate and be the first
new challenges in the surface Located on a turret at the technology demonstration will mission to collect and cache
mission. We built the rover end of the rover’s robotic arm, attempt to manufacture oxygen Martian rock and regolith, paving
not just to land but to find the Planetary Instrument for out of thin air – the Red Planet’s the way for human exploration of
and collect the best scientific X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) tenuous and mostly carbon the Red Planet.
samples for return to Earth, and and the Scanning Habitable dioxide atmosphere. The rover’s Subsequent NASA missions, in
its incredibly complex sampling Environments with Raman & Mars Environmental Dynamics cooperation with ESA, will send
system and autonomy not only Luminescence for Organics Analyzer (MEDA) instrument, spacecraft to Mars to collect these
enable that mission, they set & Chemicals (SHERLOC) which has sensors on the mast cached samples from the surface
the stage for future robotic and instruments will work together and chassis, will provide key and return them to Earth for in-
crewed missions.” to collect data on Mars’ geology information about present-day depth analysis.
The Mars Entry, Descent, close-up. PIXL will use an X-ray Mars weather, climate, and dust. The Mars 2020 Perseverance
and Landing Instrumentation 2 beam and suite of sensors to delve Currently attached to the mission is part of NASA’s Moon
(MEDLI2) sensor suite collected into a rock’s elemental chemistry. belly of Perseverance, the to Mars exploration approach,
data about Mars’ atmosphere SHERLOC’s ultraviolet laser diminutive Ingenuity Mars which includes Artemis missions
during entry, and the Terrain- and spectrometer, along with its Helicopter is a technology to the Moon that will help
Relative Navigation system Wide Angle Topographic Sensor demonstration that will attempt prepare for human exploration of
autonomously guided the for Operations and eNgineering the first powered, controlled flight the Red Planet.
spacecraft during final descent. (WATSON) imager, will study on another planet. JPL, a division of Caltech in
The data from both are rock surfaces, mapping out the Project engineers and scientists Pasadena, manages the Mars
expected to help future human presence of certain minerals and will now put Perseverance through 2020 Perseverance mission and
missions land on other worlds organic molecules, which are the its paces, testing every instrument, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
more safely and with larger carbon-based building blocks of subsystem, and subroutine over technology demonstration for
payloads. life on Earth. the next month or two. Only then NASA.
March 2021 7 Landing technology... from page 2 hardware through its paces,” said met by NASA’s Flight descent typical of Mars landings.” over six-years of multiple field Mohan. “Then with simulation, Opportunities program, which Johnson added that the tests. we model various scenarios that facilitated two 2014 flights in the suborbital testing in fact increased But Mohan pointed out the software algorithms may Mojave Desert on Masten Space the technology readiness level to that even with these successful encounter on Mars – a too-sunny Systems’ Xombie – a vertical get the final green light of demonstrations, there was more day, very dark day, windy day – takeoff and vertical landing acceptance into the Mars 2020 work to do to ensure a safe landing. and we make sure the system (VTVL) system that functions mission. She was at Mission Control for the behaves as expected regardless of similarly to a lander. The flight “The testing that Flight landing, monitoring the health of those conditions.” tests demonstrated LVS’s ability to Opportunities is set up to provide the system every step of the way. But the third piece of the direct Xombie to autonomously was really unprecedented within “Real life can always throw you trifecta – the field tests – require change course and avoid hazards NASA at the time,” said Johnson. curve balls. So, we monitored actual flights to put the lab on descent by adopting a newly “But it’s proven so valuable that everything during the cruise phase, results through further rigor and calculated path to a safe landing it’s now becoming expected to checked power to the camera and provide a high level of technical site. Earlier flights on Masten’s do these types of flight tests. For made sure the data was flowing as readiness for NASA missions. VTVL system also helped validate LVS, those rocket flights were expected,” Mohan said. “And once For LVS’s early flight tests, algorithms and software used to the capstone of our technology we got the signal from the rover that Johnson and team mounted the calculate fuel-optimal trajectories development effort.” said, ‘I’ve landed and I’m on stable LVS to a helicopter and used it for planetary landings. With the technology accepted ground,’ then we could celebrate.” to estimate the vehicle’s position “Testing on the rocket laid for Mars 2020, the mission automatically as it was flying. pretty much all remaining doubts team began to build the final About Flight Opportunities “That got us to a certain level to rest and answered a critical version of LVS that would fly The Flight Opportunities of technical readiness because question for the LVS operation on Perseverance. In 2019, a program is funded by NASA’s Space the system could monitor a wide affirmatively,” said JPL’s Nikolas copy of that system flew on one Technology Mission Directorate range of terrain, but it didn’t have Trawny, a payload and pointing more helicopter demonstration and managed at NASA Armstrong. the same kind of descent that control systems engineer who in Death Valley, California, NASA Ames Research Center Perseverance would have,” said worked closely with Masten on facilitated by NASA’s Technology manages the solicitation and Johnson. “There was also a need the 2014 field tests. “It was then D e m o n s t r a t i o n evaluation of technologies to to demonstrate LVS on a rocket.” that we knew LVS would work Missions program. The helicopter be tested and demonstrated on That need was during the high-speed vertical flight provided a final check on commercial flight vehicles.
X-Press 8
Here’s a look at NASA’s AAM helicopter
By Teresa Whiting tests,” said Starr Ginn, AAM
NASA Armstrong Public Affairs National Campaign lead.
NASA’s Advanced Air The data collected during
Mobility (AAM) National these flights will be used in
Campaign, referred to as NC developing lessons learned in
for short, is one step closer to operational procedures.
its vision of a new type of air The final round of dry run
transportation system. NASA testing will collect even more
and the Federal Aviation flight characteristics data and
Administration or FAA are finalize the National Campaign
working together to make this a flight test infrastructure
reality. development prior to
The NC Integrated Dry deployment and flights with
Run tests, having completed industry partners.
their first phase Dec. 2-4, 2020, This will also prepare the
will continue with the next National Campaign for the
phase in March with a Bell next step in the process – the
OH-58C Kiowa helicopter, AFRC2020-0128-05 NASA/Ken Ulbrich developmental test with partner
provided by Flight Research Joby Aviation planned for
Inc. in Mojave, California, to A Bell OH-58C Kiowa helicopter provided by Flight Research Inc. of Mo- spring 2021.
act as a stand-in advanced air jave, California, flies at NASA Armstrong the first week of December 2020. Testing with Joby’s AAM
mobility vehicle. The Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign project used the helicopter vehicle will include activities to
The FAA and Flight Research as a stand-in advanced air mobility vehicle to develop a data baseline for prepare for NC-1 in 2022, such
Inc. test pilots are flying different future flight testing. as designing flight scenarios for
types of maneuvers with the the NC-1 participants to fly,
helicopter at NASA Armstrong future industry partnership flight Air Mobility operations: pilot exercising range deployment,
to help assess procedures testing. feedback on UAM approach and data collection protocols
and infrastructure while also “These initial flights enabled procedures and helipad markings across operational safety use
developing a data baseline for feedback in two key areas of Urban that will support research flight cases.
X-57... from page 3
sure they provide all the power This high-voltage testing will same ones who will be sitting in turning it over to the NASA flight
intended, validating the vehicle’s feed directly into final verification the control room for flight, and systems and operations engineers
instrumentation system and and validation testing, a critical that’s why I’m excited,” said Sean to actually operate the vehicle.
verifying whether all the sensors final step before taxi tests begin. Clarke, NASA’s X-57 principal What they’re learning in this test
installed across the aircraft are “Many of the team members investigator. “We’ve turned a corner they’ll take with them into the
functional. operating this test will be the from system design and lab tests, to control room for first flight.”
The X-Press is published the first Friday of National Aeronautics and
each month for civil servants, contractors Space Administration
and retirees of the NASA Armstrong Flight
Research Center. NASA Armstrong Flight
Research Center
Address: P.O. Box 273,
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Editor: Jay Levine,
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Managing Editor: Steve Lighthill, NASA
Chief, Strategic Communications:
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