NASA missed out on #Perseverance's 5th anniversary, two days ago. They haven't published a single word on their site about the jewel of their planet exploration program reaching all of its goals and continuing to roam around Jezero Crater on Mars. It's location hasn't yet been updated, almost 4 days after it moved to a new place.
That doesn't fell like the #NASA we knew until recently. Is there something going on there with the #Mars2020 mission team?
Looking NW, for some reason…
Cross-eyed 3D
(We still don't have the official location for the rover)
Processed, leveled, cropped MCZ_RIGHT+LEFT, FL: 48mm
looking NW (309°) from RMC 86.0000
Sol 1777, LMST: 11:30:44
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01777/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_1777_0824689086_693EBY_N0860000ZCAM04316_0480LMJ01.png
So, what's there in that crumbled rock that is so interesting for the #Perseverance team to stop and investigate? Let's try to see what they may be seeing. In 3D.
Pseudo 3D of two WATSON images offering a slight parallax. For cross-eyed and wiggle-3D viewing.
Processed, cropped, rotated SHERLOC_WATSON
looking down (-80°) from RMC 86.0000
Sol 1777, LMST: 15:52:14
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01777/ids/edr/browse/shrlc/SIF_1777_0824705224_031EBY_N0860000SRLC00651_0000LMJ01.png
You wouldn't have thought #Perseverance would bother to stop and investigate such a rock, but apparently that's what it did.
Processed, rotated SHERLOC_WATSON
looking down (-80°) from RMC 86.0000
Sol 1777, LMST: 15:46:58
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01777/ids/edr/browse/shrlc/SIF_1777_0824704900_078EBY_N0860000SRLC02503_0000LMJ01.png
Rock details in artificial light, #PerseveranceRover sol 1777
Crossfade animation by yours truly from three rotated "raw" WATSON images with credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
RE: https://fosstodon.org/@andrealuck/110362000567241639
5 years ago today
And, speaking again about the little #MarsHelicopter, here is a breathtaking view of it passing over the Rocky Top, right above the "bacon strip" north of Three Forks:
So, since today is the 5th anniversary of #NASA's #Perseverance rover landing on #Mars, here's an animation showing the parachute that brought the Sky Crane and the rover to the surface flapping into the air (it took the wind 12 months to do it :-) ).
Also worth mentioning is the fact that #Ingenuity's base station assembled out of COTS parts has suffered only the loss of 25 bits of memory out of 1 GB of RAM, which were isolated so that the new MGL algorithm could run.
The little #MarsHelicopter concept, including its innovative design both in aerodynamics and in electronics, proved to be much more useful than initially anticipated. No fanfare, big budget or hype, just very capable and passionate people doing their best.
A new technology from #NASA #JPL enables #Perseverance to figure out its whereabouts without calling humans for help.
Dubbed Mars Global Localization, it features an algorithm that compares panoramic images from the rover’s navigation cameras with onboard orbital terrain maps, and runs on the CPU originally used by Perseverance to communicate with #Ingenuity. Calc's a fix in 2min with 25cm accuracy.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-now-autonomously-pinpoints-its-location-on-mars
PDF:
https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/media/documents/2024_Global_Localization_ICRA.pdf
A split second before the umbilical cable is cut, the Sky Crane captures its last image of the rover in the cloud of dust raised by its thrusters.
The camera was located on the Sky Crane but the images were transferred through the umbilical cable to the rover right before it was cut.
De-bayered, processed EDL_RUCAM
RMC: 0.0000 (prelanding, corrected)
Sol: 0 (corrected)
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00293/ids/edr/browse/edl/ESE_0293_0692947446_347ECM_N0090000EDLC00293_0020LUJ02.png
Credit: #NASA #JplCaltech /65dBnoise
@PaulHammond51 reminds me that today is the 5th anniversary of #Perseverance landing on the surface of #Mars, hanging under the #SkyCrane as seen in this #OutOfThisWorld image it captured the moment the umbilical cord connecting them was cut, and the Sky Crane veered off to a heroic crash about 900m NW.
De-bayered, processed EDL_RUCAM
RMC: 0.0000 (prelanding, corrected)
Sol: 0 (corrected)
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00293/ids/edr/browse/edl/EUE_0293_0692945892_348ECM_N0090000EDLC00293_0050LUJ01.png
Credit: #NASA #JPL-Caltech / 65dBnoise
#Perseverance apparently had enough of those thin rock extrusions and moved on to a nearby location, some 2m higher and 30m NW, and… changed site again, to RMC 86.0000.
Map made with #QGIS
Processed, undistorted, cropped NAVCAM_LEFT
looking ENE (74°) from RMC 86.0000
Sol 1775, LMST: 14:50:38
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01775/ids/edr/browse/ncam/NLF_1775_0824523881_284ECM_N0860000NCAM02775_10_195J01.png
Here is the other side of that same thin rock, half an hour before the laser started blasting it. Expect to read more about how this little wedge of thin rock formed, in scientific papers, in due time. There are may of them around this place.
Processed SUPERCAM_RMI
looking NE (50°) from RMC 85.0000
Sol 1774, LMST: 10:49:15
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01774/ids/edr/browse/scam/LRF_1774_0824420240_588EBY_N0850000SCAM01774_0010I6J01.png
… while in the cool of the night SHERLOC_ACI took the lead to examine the recent abrasion under deep-ultraviolet light, looking for several astrobiologically-relevant organics and minerals, carbonates, perchlorates, sulfates and phyllosilicates. (I can RTFM, but IANAG 🥴 )
Processed, cropped SHERLOC_ACI
looking down (-84°) from RMC 85.0000
Sol 1774, LMST: 19:48:07
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01774/ids/edr/browse/shrlc/SC2_1774_0824453442_390ECM_N0850000SRLC00251_0000LMJ01.png
Ten laser blasts hit their sharp thin Martian rock target, and #Perseverance used LIBS, Raman, TRL, and VIS spectroscopy to analyze its composition.
Processed SUPERCAM_RMI
looking NE (50°) from RMC 85.0000
Sol 1774, LMST: 11:21:52
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01774/ids/edr/browse/scam/LRF_1774_0824422250_303EBY_N0850000SCAM01774_0100I6J01.png
Sharp edges
Processed MCZ_LEFT, FL: 110mm
looking ESE (112°) from RMC 85.0000
Sol 1770, LMST: 12:40:19
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01770/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZL0_1770_0824071960_613EBY_N0850000ZCAM09823_1100LMJ01.png
Mars - Cloud over Promethei Terra
Full size 5k image and more info: https://flic.kr/p/2rWMYkb
Credit: ESA/DLR/FUBerlin/AndreaLuck CC BY
ESA Mars Express 2025-05-24
ID: HR000_0000 (ND+RED+GR+BL)
#NASA is born with #Solarocks but #NASA does not always die with #Solarocks.
Life of a robot on Mars
• Laser zapping rocks
• Observing abraded rocks under artificial light at night
Processed SUPERCAM_RMI
looking down (-62°) from RMC 85.0000
Sol 1772, LMST: 10:59:35
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01772/ids/edr/browse/scam/LRF_1772_0824243328_229EBY_N0850000SCAM01772_0100I6J01.png
Processed SHERLOC_WATSON
looking down (-84°) from RMC 85.0000
Sol 1771, LMST: 21:33:35
Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01771/ids/edr/browse/shrlc/SIF_1771_0824193619_992EBY_N0850000SRLC08053_0000LMJ01.png
