Atmospheric Entry and Deceleration

Approx. 7 mins

2 mins 50 secs

2 mins 30 secs

2 mins - 1 min 20 secs

1 min

12 secs

131 km

9-13 km

7-11 km

4-8 km

2 km

20 m

<5000 m/s

420 m/s

180 m/s

100 m/s

89 m/s

0.75 m/s

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TWO

ONE

TOUCHDOWN IN...

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ALTITUDE

ALTITUDE

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VELOCITY

VELOCITY

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Mission Objectives

Mars Rovers by the Numbers

Sojourner Spirit Opportunity Curiosity

Hmm, you look familiar...

Perseverance

Touchdown Weight Height Mission (planned) Mission (actual) Distance travelled on Mars

Don't chute the messenger!Martian MysteriesPerseverance and the Search for Life on Mars

Mission TechnologyParachute Deploy

Heat Shield Separation

Rader Lock and Terrain Navigation

Backshell Separation

Rover Separation

Looking for Habitability

Seeking Biosignatures

Caching Samples

Preparing for Humans

Ingenuity Helicopter

Mastcam-Z

MEDA

MOXIE

PIXL

RIMFAX

SuperCam

SHERLOC

Exploring the Martian landscape to discover environments that could have once supported microbial life.

ars has always been a source of marvel. It captivated ancient civilizations, it's red hue

setting it apart from other points of light in the night sky. Even in recent history, some suggested it was home to alien life, until Mariner 4 got close enough to reveal a lifeless and barren planet. However, in the last few decades the true nature of Mars has begun to emerge. We’ve discovered a place that has substantially changed over time. An environment where water once shaped the landscape and still sits within icy polar regions and deep underground. And a planet where microbial life may have once existed, and perhaps against all odds still does.

Our greatest tools in this journey of discovery are the Mars rovers, a series of robotic vehicles laden with scientific instruments. The latest addition to these intrepid explorers is Perseverance. It will build on the impressive legacy of the previous rovers; seeking new knowledge, searching for evidence of life, and helping to prepare us for a day in the not too distant future when Martian explorers will leave footprints rather than tire tracks.

Included within the pattern on the inside of the rover's parachute was a hidden message. Binary code was used to spell out the phrase Dare Mighty Things, a motto used by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, along with GPS coordinates for the lab's location in California.

Studying suitable environments in search of evidence of ancient Martian lifeforms.

Collecting rock and soil, to be stored until a future mission can collect them for analysis on Earth.

Testing oxygen production in Mars' hostile atmosphere, to help inform future human missions.

A small autonomous helicopter that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet.

The aeroshell protects the rover during its turbulent descent through the Martian atmosphere. During entry the heat shield reaches around 1,300 degrees Celsius.

The heat shield helps to slow descent considerably, but it's not nearly enough. A parachute, almost 22 meters in diameter, deploys to provide additional drag.

The heat shield detaches and the rover is exposed to the Martian atmosphere for the first time. Key cameras and other instruments begin to prepare for landing.

Perseverance is based on the design of Curiosity, and the two rovers look very similar. There are some key differences though; Perseverance has more robust wheels, a longer and stronger robotic arm, and a new sampling and caching system.

A special camera quickly scans the surface and compares what it sees to an on-board map, ensuring that it's approaching a location that's suitable for a safe landing. The parachute has

further reduced the rate of descent, but it's still not enough. Perseverance must detach itself and finish the journey with the assistance of rockets.

Perseverance is lowered to the surface on a set of cables. Once on the ground, it cuts the cords, allowing the descent stage to fly away and crash-land at a safe distance.

A camera that can capture high-res images and video of the Martian surface and atmosphere.

A tool that will measure things like weather, temperature and dust levels in the Martian atmosphere.

An experiment to produce oxygen on Mars, in preparation for future human missions.

An X-ray spectrometer that will study the chemical composition of Martian rocks at a tiny scale.

A suite of cameras, spectrometers and a laser to detect minerals and potential biosignatures.

A tool that uses radar waves to discover geological features underneath the surface of Mars.

A collection of tools to identify the composition of rocks and soils, down to an atomic and molecular level.

M

83 sols

100 m

7 sols

65 cm

11.5 kg

Jul 4, '97

2208 sols

7.73 km

90 sols

1.6 m

174 kg

Jan 4, '04

5,352 sols

45.16 km

90 sols

1.6 m

174 kg

Jan 25, '04

Ongoing

24.85 km*

668 sols

3 m

900 kg

Aug 6, '12

Ongoing

1 sol is approx. 24 hours, 39.5 minutes. *As of March 2021 Sources: NASA, JPL and Wikipedia. Infographic by James Round. See more at www.jamesrounddesign.com

100 m*

668 sols

3 m

900 kg

Feb 18, '21

This infographic provides a comparison of Mars rovers, explores the arrival of Perseverance on Mars, and details its tools and mission objectives.