Latest news with #WATSON
UPI
03-07-2025
- Science
- UPI
Red, white and blue on the Red Planet
July 3 (UPI) -- On the eve of the 249th anniversary of American independence, NASA on Tuesday showcased a patriotic image of Old Glory as seen from hundreds of millions of miles away. A plaque bearing the United States flag is on an aluminum plate at the base of the mast, or "head," of NASA's Perseverance rover on the Red Planet. An image of the flag was taken on June 28 by the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera on the end of the rover's robotic arm. On Tuesday, NASA published an image of the flag on the rover, as seen during its 1,548th day of its mission. WATSON was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego and is operated jointly by Malin Space Science Systems and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. JPL, managed by Caltech, built and manages operations of Perseverance. The first U.S. flag planted somewhere besides Earth was the one planted on the moon by Buzz Aldrin in 1969. It signaled the United States had won the so-called Space Race with the Soviet Union.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Was ancient Mars habitable? NASA's Perseverance rover is grinding into a 'weird, uncooperative' rock to find out
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's Perseverance rover is digging deeper into Mars' geologic past as it begins grinding into Red Planet rock surfaces to expose material that could hold clues to the planet's ancient environment and habitability. Earlier this month, the Perseverance rover used its abrasion tool to scrape away the top layer of a rocky Martian outcrop nicknamed "Kenmore," revealing a fresh surface for close-up analysis of the rock's composition and history. The procedure, which involves a combination of mechanical grinding and gas-blast cleaning, allows scientists to study rock interiors that haven't been altered by wind, radiation or dust over billions of years. "Kenmore was a weird, uncooperative rock," Ken Farley, Perseverance's deputy project scientist, said in a statement. "Visually, it looked fine — the sort of rock we could get a good abrasion on and perhaps, if the science was right, perform a sample collection. But during abrasion, it vibrated all over the place and small chunks broke off. Fortunately, we managed to get just far enough below the surface to move forward with an analysis." The recent abrasion marks a shift in the rover's focus from primarily scouting and sampling to more detailed in-situ science. Compared to its predecessors, Perseverance uses an advanced abrading bit and gaseous Dust Removal Tool, or gDRT, which applies five puffs of nitrogen to clear samples in a way that poses less risk of contamination. For comparison, earlier rovers used a brush instead to sweep debris, or tailings, out of the way. After an abrasion is complete, Perseverance's science instruments are deployed to investigate the exposed rock. The rover's WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and Engineering) imager snaps close-up photos, while its SuperCam uses laser pulses to analyze the composition of vaporized material with one spectrometer and study visible and infrared light reflected from the freshly exposed surface with another. "The tailings showed us that this rock contains clay minerals, which contain water as hydroxide molecules bound with iron and magnesium — relatively typical of ancient Mars clay minerals." Cathy Quantin-Nataf, SuperCam team member, said in the statement. "The abrasion spectra gave us the chemical composition of the rock, showing enhancements in iron and magnesium." Perseverance also relies on its SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals) and PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) instruments to help determine mineral content, chemical composition and potential signs of past water activity or even microbial life. In fact, not only did these tools find further evidence of clay, they also detected feldspar — a mineral common in Earth's crust as well as on the moon and other rocky planets. The team also found, for the first time, manganese hydroxide in the observed specimens. "The data we obtain now from rocks like Kenmore will help future missions so they don't have to think about weird, uncooperative rocks," Farley said. "Instead, they'll have a much better idea whether you can easily drive over it, sample it, separate the hydrogen and oxygen contained inside for fuel, or if it would be suitable to use as construction material for a habitat." The work is being carried out in Mars' Jezero Crater, a 28-mile-wide (45-kilometer-wide) basin that once hosted a river delta and lake. Scientists believe the region contains some of the best-preserved records of Mars' wet past, making it a prime location to search for biosignatures, or indicators of ancient life. Kenmore represents the 30th Martian rock that Perseverance has studied in such fine detail. RELATED STORIES — Perseverance rover: Everything you need to know — NASA's Perseverance rover hits the Mars rock gold mine: 'It has been all we had hoped for and more' — Perseverance Mars rover finds 'one-of-a-kind treasure' on Red Planet's Silver Mountain Perseverance is also continuing to collect rock core samples, which are being sealed in tubes and stored for a possible future return to Earth through the planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign — though the Trump administration's recently released FY 2026 NASA budget proposal suggests cutting the MSR program altogether.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
NASA's Perseverance rover captures dust devil in stunning Martian selfie celebrating 1,500 sols of exploration
NASA's Perseverance rover recently captured a remarkable new selfie on Mars, featuring a rare guest—a Martian dust devil. This small, swirling whirlwind of dust appears about five kilometres behind the rover, adding a unique and captivating detail to the image. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The selfie, composed of 59 photos taken by the rover's robotic arm camera, commemorates 1,500 sols (Martian days) of exploration. Taken near Jezero Crater at a site called 'Witch Hazel Hill,' the photo also shows the rover's latest sample borehole. This striking image highlights Perseverance's ongoing mission and the dynamic environment of the Red Planet. NASA's Perseverance rover captures iconic selfie after 1,500 sols on Mars The selfie was snapped as Perseverance reached 1,500 sols (Martian days) on Mars or 1,541 Earth days. The record signifies the rover's prolonged mission on Mars' surface, gathering valuable scientific data. The image is a mosaic made from 59 separate photos taken by the camera on the tip of the rover's robotic arm. The photos were carefully pieced together to create a high-definition selfie of Perseverance in its Martian environment. The photo was taken when Perseverance was staked out in an area of terrain that has been referred to as "Witch Hazel Hill" on the outskirts of Jezero Crater. The rover has been taking samples there for five months, drilling into rocks and removing samples which may hold the key to secrets of ancient microbial life. What is distinctive in the selfie is the rover's latest sample borehole on the ground. Both the unforgiving Martian terrain and the rover's hardware are shown in the photo, testifying to the technological marvel hundreds of millions of miles from home. NASA scientists celebrate the detail and effort behind Perseverance's latest selfie Megan Wu, an imaging scientist for the Malin Space Science Systems — the team that built the rover's camera — gave some information about how it worked. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It took some one hour of deliberate arm motion to capture all the photos required for this composite selfie, according to the reports. Wu mentioned that the work was worthwhile, especially with the dust devil adding a unique and memorable element to the image. Perseverance's exterior in the photo is shrouded by a thin veil of crimson Martian dust, a result of its extensive deep drilling operations on scores of rock samples. Justin Maki, Perseverance imaging lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, underscored the importance of the selfie, stating that it provides "a great view of the terrain and the rover hardware." Perseverance's fifth selfie showcases mission milestones and scientific goals This is the fifth recent selfie taken because of the launch of the rover mission. It was made up of a series of pictures captured by the WATSON camera, which is installed on the rover's robotic arm. WATSON took several more photos with the focus point being the rover's mast so the selfie would be able to capture the whole width of the rover's framework and surroundings in order to complete the composite picture. Launched in 2020, the Perseverance rover's primary mission is to collect geological samples from Jezero Crater, a region believed to have been an ancient river delta and lakebed. Scientists hope that by analyzing these samples, they will observe remnants of microbial life that had previously inhabited Mars and learn more about Mars' past. The rover's continued exploration and the remarkable images it sends back, such as this latest selfie with a dust devil in the background, underscore the progress and excitement surrounding humanity's quest to explore the Red Planet. Also Read |
