NASA’s Perseverance rover third year at Jezero Crater

Perseverance Rover Celebrates Second Anniversary on Mars, Continues Search for Worthy Rocks

NASA’s Perseverance rover has been actively exploring the surface of Mars since its arrival at Jezero Crater in 2021. Its primary mission is to collect and study samples of Martian rocks that are critical to NASA-ESA’s Mars Sample Return campaign.

As the rover celebrates its second anniversary on the Red Planet, it continues to search for rocks that are worthy of study on Earth.

Perseverance’s Role in Mars Exploration

Since landing on Mars, the Perseverance rover has been conducting scientific research and data collection on the geologic features of the planet.

Scientists hope to study Martian samples with powerful lab equipment on Earth to gain a better understanding of the processes that have shaped the planet’s surface and to search for signs of ancient microbial life.

The First Sample Depot on Another World

Perseverance has already accomplished an extraordinary feat by creating the first sample depot on another world.

The rover has collected 15 rock cores, two regolith samples, one atmospheric sample, and has sealed three “witness” tubes, in addition to conducting data collection on hundreds of intriguing geologic features.

Numbers Play a Big Role in the Mission

As with any scientific endeavor, numbers play a significant role in the Mars rover mission. They help provide insight into vehicle trends and performance, such as the distance the rover has driven, and the number of revolutions of its wheels.

For example, as of February 14, the left front wheel had performed 9,423 revolutions. MOXIE, short for Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, has produced 3.25 ounces of oxygen, while the Gas Dust Removal Tool has puffed 62 times to clear residual dust and particles from rock-abrading activities.

Conclusion

The Perseverance team is celebrating the rover’s second anniversary on Mars while continuing its search for rocks that are worthy of study on Earth.

The mission’s accomplishments thus far have been productive, as indicated by the significant amount of scientific data that has been collected and the sample depot that has been established on the Red Planet.