China News Agency, Houston, July 30. At 7:50 on July 30, US Eastern Time, the US "Perseverance" rover was launched by the "Space God 5" carrier rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, USA Lift off.
According to NASA, the "Perseverance" rover will have a seven-month flight with a range of more than 309 million miles. It is expected to land on Mars' Jezero crater on February 18, 2021. This is the remains of an ancient lake about 3.5 billion years ago, and traces of fan-shaped deltas can still be seen today. NASA scientists believe that if there was life on Mars, there may be traces of life on Mars.
According to the Associated Press, "Perseverance" is NASA's newest Mars rover, a $2.7 billion Mars exploration mission that aims to explore minerals on Mars and find signs of life.
According to the New York Times, the Perseverance is a six-wheel detector. It is the largest and heaviest rover developed by NASA at 2,260 pounds. It is an upgraded version of the "Curiosity" Mars rover. The vehicle is equipped with a number of test and experimental equipment, including a 7-foot robotic arm, 23 cameras, 1 microphone, 43 sample tubes, obstacle avoidance system, and an unmanned aircraft. Machine waiting.
It is worth noting that two months after the landing of Perseverance, it will conduct its first aerial flight test on Mars. The 4-pound UAV "Smart" can last 90 seconds of a Martian day per flight. A day on Mars is approximately 39 minutes longer than Earth. The drone uses solar cells to charge lithium batteries. Scientists believe that future Mars missions can use such UAVs for manned and loaded flight plans.
In addition, Perseverance will test whether it can produce oxygen from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. It also carries samples of spacesuit materials to test whether it can withstand the environment on Mars.
According to the "Wall Street Journal" report, following the launch of the United Arab Emirates "Hope" and China "Tianwen-1" probes, the US "Perseverance" is the third and final Mars exploration by mankind this summer. task. Prior to this, human beings have carried out 14 Mars exploration missions, 9 of which were successful, 8 of which were completed by NASA.
July this year is the window period for Mars exploration missions. The Mars launch missions of the three countries are concentrated in this time period, mainly because the astronomical phenomenon of "Mars opposition to the sun" will appear on October 14 this year. At that time, the orbital positions of Mars, the earth and the sun will form a straight line. The distance to the earth will also be the shortest, suitable for efficient completion of Mars exploration missions. Taking into account the distance between the Earth and Mars and the speed at which the Earth and Mars revolve around the sun, scientists believe that the best launch time is about two months before the "Mars opposition." (Finish)