Sunday, October 6, 2024

The Perseverance rover is going to climb

 

As the scientific rewards from the Mars Perseverance Rover (yes, it's still roving Mars) continue to accrue, this Gizmodo article indicates that the going is going to get tougher and rougher -- and the rewards could become greater.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Is Finally Getting to the Main Event on Mars 

The rover is set to tackle Mars' ancient hydrothermal sites, searching for clues to the planet's watery past and potential ancient life.

"In the upcoming science campaign, Perseverance will have to overcome slopes of up to 23 degrees and a climb of about 1,000 feet (300 meters) to summit the rim of Jezero, which billions of years ago contained a massive lake."

NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Begin Long Climb Up Martian Crater Rim

That article provided the image below, which shows where the rover is going. First stop is Dox Castle. Then it apparently exits the crater at Aurora Park, and ensuing goals are Pico Turquino and Witch Hazel Hill.

(And since I'm posting this a few weeks after it was published, I went to the Mars Perseverance Rover website and looked at the image that shows where the rover is now. And it looks to me like it's nearly to Aurora Park already.)




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