NASA's latest Mars rover Perseverance launched Thursday on an astrobiology mission to look for signs of ancient microbial life -- and to fly a helicopter-drone on another world for the first time.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket took off on schedule at 7:50 am (1150 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled NASA's Jet Propulsion laboratory in California that manages the mission minutes earlier.

The first stage separation took place a few minutes later and Perserverance prepared for a second burn to put it on a trajectory toward Mars.

If all goes to plan, Perseverance will reach the Red Planet on February 18, 2021, becoming the fifth rover to complete the voyage since 1997.

All so far have been American. China launched its first Mars rover last week, which should arrive by May 2021.

By next year, Mars could therefore have three active rovers, including NASA's Curiosity, which has traversed 23 kilometers (14 miles) of the Red Planet since it landed in 2012.

The launch also took place despite the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit the United States harder than any country.

NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said this made it even more important that the launch went ahead as planned.

"We have a history of doing amazing things in the most challenging times, and this is this is no different," he said, minutes before take-off.

Perseverance is an improved version of Curiosity.

It is faster, with a tougher set of six wheels, has more computing power, and can autonomously navigate 200 meters per day.

About the size of a small SUV, it weighs a metric ton, has 19 cameras, and two microphones -- which scientists hope will be the first to record sound on Mars.

It has a two-meter-long robotic arm, and is powered by a small nuclear battery.

Once on the surface, NASA will deploy the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter -- a 1.8 kilogram (four pound) aircraft that will attempt to fly in an atmosphere that is only one percent the density of Earth's.

The idea is to lay down a proof of concept that could one day revolutionize planetary exploration, since rovers can only cover a few dozen kilometers in their whole lifespans and are vulnerable to sand dunes and other obstacles higher than 40 centimeters (15 inches).

Perseverance's primary mission is to scour the planet for evidence of ancient life forms.

Scientists believe that more than three billion years ago the planet was much warmer than today and was covered in rivers and lakes, conditions which could have led to simple microbial life.

The reasons for it becoming the cold, barren world we know today aren't fully known.

Another first: Perseverance's drill will collect around 30 intact rock cores and place them in test tubes, to be collected by a future joint US-European mission.

Indisputable proof of past life on Mars will most likely not be confirmed, if it exists, until these samples are analyzed next decade, NASA chief scientist Thomas Zurbuchen said on Tuesday.

- Primitive life -

"What we are looking for is likely very primitive life, we are not looking for advanced life forms that might be things like bones or fern fossils," explained project scientist Ken Farley.

NASA has chosen the Jezero crater as its landing site, a giant impact basin just north of the Martian equator.

Between three and four billion years ago, a river flowed there into a large body of water.

Scientists believe the ancient river delta could have collected and preserved organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life.

If conditions are harsh on the sand-swept planet where night temperatures dip to minus 90 degrees Celsius (minus 130 Fahrenheit), it does have one major advantage: no plate tectonic activity. On Earth, it is extremely difficult to find landscapes that have remained the same for three billion years.

More than 350 geologists, geochemists, astrobiologists, atmospheric specialists and other scientists from around the world are taking part in the mission.

It is set to last at least two years, but probably much longer given the endurance shown by previous rovers.

Six decades of missions to Mars
Paris (AFP) July 30, 2020 - The six-decade space race to explore Mars has led to some 40 missions, at least half of which have been successful, and still the Red Planet inspires new adventures.

With US space agency NASA's latest Mars rover Perseverance launch on Thursday, here is a look back at some key missions over the last 60 years:

- 1960-1964: Soviet failures -

The Soviet Union leads the way, sending probes from 1960, just three years after it launched its first artificial satellite Sputnik I.

But it clocks up a string of failures, including Marsnik 1 and 2, the first two probes launched in October 1960, which do not reach the Earth's orbit.

Zond 2 launched in 1964 is the first probe to get close to Mars, although it does not manage to carry out an observation of the planet.

- 1965: Mariner 4 flies over -

On July 15, 1965, US vessel Mariner 4 makes history when it flies over the Red Planet. It sends back about 20 photographs revealing a desert-like surface dotted with craters.

- 1971: first satellite -

Mariner 9 in November 1971 becomes the first satellite to travel around Mars, providing a detailed photographic map showing traces of volcanism and river erosion.

In December the Soviet Mars 3 is the first spaceship to make a soft-landing on the planet but it stops transmitting some 20 seconds later.

- 1976: complete missions -

The US is the first nation to make vessels function on Mars: in July 1976 Viking 1 is the first spaceship to successful land on the planet and complete its mission.

It is followed in September by Viking 2.

Their combined missions allow them to collect more than 50,000 photographs and show there was no sign of life on Mars.

- 1997: data drive -

Exploration to Mars picks up again in the 1990s, but with mixed results: seven probes are lost.

But NASA enjoys two successes, both in 1997.

In July, Mars Pathfinder places the robotic rover Sojourner on the planet.

Then in September Mars Global Surveyor, launched a year earlier, enters orbit and goes on to study the entire surface, atmosphere, and interior of the planet.

Both Pathfinder and Surveyor collect detailed data and detect the presence of minerals.

- 2003: Europe's Mars Express -

The European Space Agency sends the probe Mars Express, which circles the plant from December 2003 and remains in operation.

But the craft's mini-lander Beagle 2 never shows sign of life, though it was seen on the planet's surface in January 2015.

- 2004: Spirit and Opportunity -

Two US geological robots, Spirit and Opportunity, are placed on Mars in January 2004 for a successful mission lasting until 2010 and 2018 respectively.

Opportunity clocks up the longest extraterrestrial distance ever travelled at 45 kilometres (28 miles) and sends back more than 200,000 images, and discovers traces of humidity in the atmosphere.

- 2012: Curiosity, still working -

The US robot Curiosity lands in August 2012 and is the only vehicle still in operation on Mars.

It has shown the planet was once suitable for microbial life and should be potentially habitable.

In May 2008, Phoenix, another US vehicle, investigates permafrost on Mars and confirms the presence of frozen water.

- 2014: India, cheaper and faster -

India successfully puts a probe into orbit in September 2014.

The Mars Orbiter Mission aims to measure the presence of methane on the Red Planet and was produced at a low cost and in record time.

- 2020 and beyond -

The Russian-European mission ExoMars due to send a robot to drill the ground on Mars in 2020 has been postponed to 2022 following technical difficulties and the pandemic.

But three other Red Planet missions have taken place in July.

The United Arab Emirates on July 20 launched its Hope probe to Mars, becoming the first interplanetary mission from the Arab world.

Three days later China launched its rover to Mars as part of the mission Tianwen-1.

And on Thursday NASA's Perseverance launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Related Links
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

New method determines planetary regolith thermal conductivity
Tucson AZ (SPX) Jul 29, 2020
A new analytic model for calculating the effective thermal conductivity of planetary regolith allows scientists to better understand the connections between the physical and thermal properties of planetary surfaces and the processes that depend on them, said Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Stephen E. Wood. "Thermal conductivity largely controls the range of temperatures experienced at the surface and in the subsurface. This is important because surface and subsurface temperatures affe ... read more