Mars landing news LIVE – Nasa ‘awestruck’ by Perseverance mission data as Rover sends first colour pics of red planet

FACTS ABOUT MARS

Here’s what you need to know about the Red Planet…

• Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
• It is named after the Roman god of war
• The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here
• Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest
• Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth
• It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
• So far, there has been 39 missions to Mars but only 16 of these have been successful

MARS LANDING STATS

The largest, most advanced rover NASA has sent to another world has touched down on Mars.

• It was a 203-day journey traversing 293million miles (472million km)
• The Mars 2020 mission launched July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida
• NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover is ‘packed with groundbreaking technology’
• It’s about the size of a car, weighing 2,263 pounds (1,026 kg)
• The Rover will shortly begin its two-year scientific investigation of Mars’ Jezero Crater

GRAVITY ON MARS COMPARED TO EARTH

Mars has very low gravity. The gravity on the planet’s surface is 62 per cent lower than on Earth, meaning colonists would bounce around like astronauts on the Moon.

It means a person who weighs 100kg on Earth would weigh only 38kg on Mars.

As well as moving a little differently, Martian migrants would have to deal with weakening and shrinking of their leg and back muscles caused by the lack of weight load on their bodies.

11.5 MINUTE LAG BETWEEN CONTROL ROOM AND ROVER

Scientists held their breath during the “seven minutes of terror” as the vehicle plunged through the thin Mars atmosphere before landing. 

Experts were especially nervous because it faced an 11½-minute communication lag as the landing approached — so the rover was on its own, unable to rely on controllers.

But then a huge cheer erupted from the control room as it was confirmed the landing was a success. Nasa chief Steve Jurczyk called it “amazing”.

MARS LANDING: KEY POINTS

• It was a 203-day journey traversing 293million miles (472million km)
• The Mars 2020 mission launched July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida
• NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover is ‘packed with groundbreaking technology’
• It’s about the size of a car, weighing 2,263 pounds (1,026 kg)
• The Rover will shortly begin its two-year scientific investigation of Mars’ Jezero Crater

THE FIRST IMAGE BEAMED BACK TO EARTH

This was the first image which Nasa’s Perseverance beamed back to Earth.

The first images from the rover were a little grainy due to dust on the camera lens, but the rocky Martian surface is in clear view.

Nasa said better quality snaps will arrive in the coming days after the completion of initial checkups on its scientific instruments.

THE MOMENT NASA RECEIVED CONFIRMATION

Members of NASA’s Perseverance rover team celebrate in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

WHY IS THIS MISSION DIFFERENT TO PREVIOUS MARS EXPLORATIONS

Jim Bell, a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, has worked on a number of Mars missions.

He is the primary investigator leading a team in charge of one of the camera systems on Perseverance – and he has described what makes this Mars mission so special.

He told podcast The Conversation Weekly: “Perseverance is intended to be the first part of a robotic sample-return mission from Mars.

“So instead of just drilling into the surface like the Curiosity Rover does, Perseverance will drill and core into the surface and cache those little cores into tubes about the size of a dry-erase marker.

“It will then put those tubes onto the surface for a future mission later this decade to pick up and then bring back to the Earth.”

‘ICONIC’ PICTURES FROM THE RED PLANET

Chief engineer Adam Steltzner called the first pictures taken from Perseverance “iconic”.

He said the very first image was comparable to the shot of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon in 1969, or the Voyager 1 probe’s images of Saturn in 1980.

UAE PROBE SENT PICS OF MARS SIX DAYS AGO - AND BEAT NASA AND CHINA TO IT

The United Arab Emirates' ‘Hope’ probe has sent back its first pictures of mars as it orbits the planet.

And the image shows the largest volcano in the solar system - The Olympus Mons - after the spacecraft bet NASA and China to Mars.

Read more here.

IN PICTURES: PERSEVERANCE ROVER LOWERED ON TO SURFACE OF MARS

This photo released by NASA shows the Perseverance rover being lowered by the Sky Crane to the surface of Mars.

NASA said the rover touched down after successfully overcoming a risky landing phase known as the "seven minutes of terror". 

JOE BIDEN PRAISES 'HARD WORK' OF NASA TEAM

Joe Biden has shared a video of his call with the Nasa Perseverance team after its successful Mars landing.

The US president tweeted today: "On Thursday, I joined the world and watched in awe as the Perseverance Rover touched down on the surface of Mars.

"It was a remarkable feat — one made possible by the hard work and ingenuity of the team at @NASA. I called to congratulate them on their historic landing."

IN PICTURES: NASA INGENUITY MARS HELICOPTER STANDS ON RED PLANET

In this illustration, NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter stands on the Red Planet's surface as NASA's Perseverance rover (partially visible on the left) rolls away.

The technology demonstration has phoned home from where it is attached to the belly of NASA's Perseverance rover.

Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have received the first status report from the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which landed Feb. 18, 2021, at Jezero Crater attached to the belly of the agency's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

The downlink, which arrived at 3:30 p.m. PST via a connection through the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, indicates that both the helicopter, which will remain attached to the rover for 30 to 60 days, and its base station (an electrical box on the rover that stores and routes communications between the rotorcraft and Earth) are operating as expected.

HELICOPTER ATTACHED TO MARS PROBE HAS 'PHONED HOME'

A HELICOPTER attached to Mars probe Perseverance has “phoned home”.

The miniature chopper, called Ingenuity, appears to be intact and working normally but it will be several weeks before it can fly.

Ingenuity is the “sidekick” to NASA’s Perseverance rover which landed on Mars on Thursday.

It will take up to two months for the helicopter’s battery to charge from the solar-powered Perseverance.

One it is charged and a suitable “helipad” has been found on the Red Planet, Ingenuity will be dropped off.

MARS LANDING: WHEN DID PERSEVERANCE LAND ON THE RED PLANET?

Nasa’s Perseverance rover finally touched down on the Red Planet on Thursday after an incredible seven-month journey.

The robot beamed back incredible first images of Mars after successfully landing on the Red Planet.

It ended its 190million-mile flight when it gently touched down in a crater that was once a lake 3billion years ago.

Here, the six-wheeled machine will collect rock samples from the basin that will later be analysed for signs of extra-terrestrial life.

Perseverance touched down at 3.44pm ET (8.44pm GMT) on Thursday.

GRAVITY ON MARS COMPARED TO EARTH

Mars has very low gravity. The gravity on the planet’s surface is 62 per cent lower than on Earth, meaning colonists would bounce around like astronauts on the Moon.

It means a person who weighs 100kg on Earth would weigh only 38kg on Mars.

As well as moving a little differently, Martian migrants would have to deal with weakening and shrinking of their leg and back muscles caused by the lack of weight load on their bodies.

TECHNOLOGY TO TAKE MAN TO MARS

Perseverance carries technology that will help pave the way for future human missions to the Moon and Mars.

Nasa says: “As part of the spacecraft’s landing system, Terrain-Relative Navigation is the main reason Perseverance can explore a place as interesting as Jezero Crater.

“It will enable the descending spacecraft to quickly and autonomously comprehend its location over the Martian surface and modify its trajectory.

“This technology will provide invaluable assistance for both robotic and crewed missions landing on the Moon.”

BOSNIAN VILLAGERS CHEER AS NASA ATTEMPTS TO LAND ON NAMESAKE LAKE ON MARS

Schoolchildren in the Bosnian village of Jezero waited with great excitement for an attempt by NASA on Thursday to land on an ancient lake bed on Mars which is named after their tiny hometown.

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology lab ever flown to another world, is due to make a landing attempt on the ancient lake bed after a seven-month journey from Earth.

Scientists hope to find signs of fossilized microbial life.

PERSERVERANCE MISSION 'ESSENTIAL' FOR SENDING HUMANS TO MARS IN FUTURE

Nasa’s Perseverance landing on Mars is “essential” if we want to send humans to the planet, says an astronomer.

Hannah Barnyard, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, told the Express: “There is still a long way to go until human missions to Mars could be possible so it is likely there will be more robotic explorers before that happens.

“Rovers tell us more about the Martian environment which is essential if we are to put humans on the planet.

“Even once human missions begin, robotic explorers will be the companions of Martian astronauts scouting out areas of interest and performing tasks in potentially dangerous areas just as they do on Earth.”

NASA TEAM ‘AWESTRUCK’ BY MARS MISSION

The rover is shown in extraordinary detail just 6.5 feet (2 metres) off the ground, being lowered by cables attached to an overhead sky crane, the red dust kicked up by rocket engines.

“This is something that we’ve never seen before,” flight system engineer Aaron Stehura said at a news conference.

“It was stunning, and the team was awestruck.

“There’s just a feeling of victory that we were able to capture these and share it with the world.”

FACTS ABOUT MARS

Here’s what you need to know about the Red Planet…

• Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
• It is named after the Roman god of war
• The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here
• Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest
• Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth
• It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
• So far, there has been 39 missions to Mars but only 16 of these have been successful

FIRST COLOUR IMAGE FROM MARS

This is the first high-resolution, colour image to be sent back by the Hazcams on the underside of Nasa’s Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on Thursday night.

The space agency also released a dramatic image of the Mars Perseverance rover being lowered onto the surface of the Red Planet during its landing on Thursday.

The image, unveiled during a press briefing on Friday, was taken by the descent stage that placed the vehicle on the ground.

MARS LANDING: WHEN DID PERSEVERANCE LAND ON THE RED PLANET?

Nasa’s Perseverance rover finally touched down on the Red Planet on Thursday after an incredible seven-month journey.

The robot beamed back incredible first images of Mars after successfully landing on the Red Planet.

It ended its 190million-mile flight when it gently touched down in a crater that was once a lake 3billion years ago.

Here, the six-wheeled machine will collect rock samples from the basin that will later be analysed for signs of extra-terrestrial life.

Perseverance touched down at 3.44pm ET (8.44pm GMT) on Thursday.

MARS LANDING: KEY POINTS

• It was a 203-day journey traversing 293million miles (472million km)
• The Mars 2020 mission launched July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida
• NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover is ‘packed with groundbreaking technology’
• It’s about the size of a car, weighing 2,263 pounds (1,026 kg)
• The Rover will shortly begin its two-year scientific investigation of Mars’ Jezero Crater

CONTINUED

"Perseverance carries a technology demonstration – a proof-of-concept experiment – called Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE).

"This instrument will produce oxygen from Mars’ carbon dioxide atmosphere, demonstrating a way that future explorers might produce oxygen for rocket propellant as well as for breathing."

Perseverance also has MEDLI2 and MEA which provide information about weather, climate and surface ultraviolet radiation and dust.