NASA’s Perseverance rover shares update during tricky Mars climb

By Trevor Mogg Published October 17, 2024

NASA’s Perseverance rover is in the middle of a months-long journey up the rim of Jezero Crater on Mars, and on Thursday it beamed back a status update.

The vehicle started the climb in August in what’s considered to be the most ambitious and arduous phase of Perseverance’s mission since arriving at the red planet in early 2021.

Recommended Videos

“My journey to the rim of Jezero Crater has been a challenging one,” the rover said in a post on its social media account overseen by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is conducting the Mars mission. “As you can see in this image from my rear Hazcam, I’m dealing with some steep and slippery terrain. But thanks to my team and autonomous navigation system, I’m avoiding any big hazards as I slowly make my way up.”

The image, below, shows one of the rover’s six wheels and the tracks left by them as Perseverance performs its climb.

My journey to the rim of Jezero Crater has been a challenging one.

As you can see in this image from my rear Hazcam, I’m dealing with some steep and slippery terrain. But thanks to my team and autonomous navigation system, I'm avoiding any big hazards as I slowly make my way up. pic.twitter.com/zlZRqeTPWM

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) October 17, 2024

In an earlier post, Perseverance said it has a few spots to explore on its way to the top, adding that the JPL team was most excited about an area over the crest and outside the crater called Witch Hazel Hill, which includes the most ancient martian crust that the rover is likely to encounter on its journey.

To get there, Perseverance is tackling slopes of up to 23 degrees and which rise around 1,000 feet (305 meters).

Perseverance has spent pretty much all of the last three-and-a-half years exploring the floor of Jezero Crater, as well as the site of an ancient river delta. NASA selected this area for the mission as it was once a huge lake that may have contained microbial life. Perseverance has been collecting cores of rock from this location for later analysis that could reveal if life ever existed on the faraway planet.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Topics

Tech News

Space

Elon Musk shares new target date for Starship voyage to Mars

elon musk stylized image

SpaceX is aiming to launch “about five” uncrewed Starship voyages to Mars in two years’ time, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by CEO Elon Musk on Sunday.

Musk said that if the uncrewed missions land safely on the red planet, then the first crewed mission could take place as early as 2028, but he added that “if we encounter challenges, then the crewed missions will be postponed another two years” due to the alignment of Earth and Mars that makes such journeys possible. He continued: “We want to enable anyone who wants to be a space traveler to go to Mars! That means you or your family or friends -- anyone who dreams of great adventure. Eventually, there will be thousands of Starships going to Mars and it will a glorious sight to see! Can you imagine? Wow.”

Space

Perseverance rover gears up for a big climb to the rim of the Jezero Crater

One of the navigation cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this view looking back at the “Bright Angel” area on July 30, the 1,224th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

The Perseverance rover on Mars is set to begin its newest challenge: a slog up the rim of the Jezero Crater that will take months to complete. The rover will face steep slopes and difficult terrain, testing its wheels and suspension system, but its efforts should help to uncover rocks from the most ancient part of the Mars crust.

Since the rover landed in the Jezero Crater in 2021, it has been exploring the floor of the crater and the site of an ancient river delta. This area was chosen because it was once home to an ancient lake, so the rock cores that the rover has collected will help to uncover information about the history of water on Mars -- which is vital to determine if the planet could ever have been habitable.

Space

NASA’s axed moon rover could be resurrected by Intuitive Machines

An illustration of NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the lunar surface.

Lunar scientists were shocked and dismayed last month when NASA announced that it was canceling work on its moon rover, VIPER. The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover was intended to search the moon's south pole for evidence of water there, but NASA said that it had to ax the project due to increasing costs.

This week, an open letter to Congress called the cancellation of the mission "unprecedented and indefensible," and questioned NASA's assertion that the cancellation of the mission would not affect plans to send humans to the moon. Scientists argued that the mission was fundamental to understanding the presence of water on the moon, which is a key resource for human exploration, as well as an issue of scientific interest.