Astronomy Picture of the Day
    


Landing on Mars: Seven Minutes of Terror
<< Yesterday 15.02.2021 Tomorrow >>
Credit & Copyright: NASA, JPL
Explanation: Starting Thursday, there may be an amazing new robotic explorer on Mars. Or there may be a new pile of junk. It all likely depends on things going correctly in the minutes after the Mars 2020 mission arrives at its new home planet and attempts to deploy the Perseverance rover. Arguably the most sophisticated landing yet attempted on the red planet, consecutive precision events will involve a heat shield, a parachute, several rocket maneuvers, and the automatic operation of an unusual device called a Sky Crane. Thursday's Seven Minutes of Terror echo the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars in 2012, as depicted in the featured video. If successful, the car-sized Perseverance rover will rest on the surface of Mars, soon to begin exploring Jezero Crater to better determine the habitability of this seemingly barren world to life -- past, present, and future. Although multiple media outlets may cover this event, one way to watch these landing events unfold is on the NASA channel live on the web.

News: NASA Perseverance Coverage

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
 < February 2021  >
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Based on Astronomy Picture Of the Day

Publications with keywords: Mars - Martian Rover
Publications with words: Mars - Martian Rover
See also:
All publications on this topic >>