Perseverance landed right where it was supposed to land, but before Mars traversing, rock drilling, and before that Ingenuity drone tests, it’s time for detailed tests of all systems, which have been going on for many days and were also awakened during them. all kinds of imaging devices including the main Mastcam-Z. It is this that can create entire panoramic images of its surroundings thanks to its flexibility and elevated position.
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Mastcam-Z is a two-camera system that has an optical zoom and can capture stereoscopic recordings as well as high-definition video. They recently took pictures of the rover’s surroundings and a total of 142 images were created, showing the rim of the crater as well as the nearby edge of the ancient delta where water was supposed to flow into the crater billions of years ago. And as expected, this area of Mars looks basically the same to a layman as the places shown by previous rovers.
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And it was all of its predecessors that Perseverance brought with it in a small “family picture,” which is actually a metal plate that NASA, like everything else, carefully cleaned before assembly so that the rover would not accidentally bring anything alive with it.
We have a whole five, starting with the tiny Sojourner from 1997, who arrived as part of the Pathfinder mission and lasted 83 sols. It is followed by Spirit and Opportunity, while Opportunity is still a Martian record holder with almost 5,400 sols, so Curiosity still has a long way to go, even though it has recently exceeded the limit of 3,000 sols. In the end, next to Curiosity, there is Perseverance itself and next to it in a somewhat optimistic position, that is, in the air, flying Ingenuity.
Now we can wait for NASA to complete the initial testing, move a new rover, and then she could start deciding where to drop the Ingenuity, as this little helicopter should logically come first. Its purpose is, after all, to verify the flight ability and at the same time it is best to take a few more shots, and that will be all within the technological demonstration. After that, Perseverance itself will finally be able to focus on the main part and content of the mission.
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