Last February, the Perseverance rover already celebrated the first anniversary of its mission to Mars. Supported by the Ingenuity helicopter, the robot has already had a great adventure on the red planet
. And it’s not over yet!
But in recent days, a little intruder has come to spoil the party while casting uncertainty on the rest of this Martian epic.
There’s a pebble in my boot!
On February 25, a photo captured via a Hazcam (a hazard avoidance camera) placed on the rover showed the presence of an undesirable element in one of Perseverance’s six wheels. This is a rock that somehow got on board and presumably isn’t motivated to come down. This rock was still present in early March, as evidenced by this other snapshot released by NASA.
According to the information in our possession, the unwanted passenger would have climbed on board during the exploration of the Jezero crater. According to journalist Amanda Kooser of CNET, the stone would even be present since February 6th. Thus, we could wonder about the risks incurred by Perseverance because of this dear stone.
No particular concern
Fortunately, the news is quite encouraging, as NASA has declared that it is simply a cosmetic discomfort. The space agency does not perceive the rock as ” a risk “, while adding that the phenomenon had already occurred with the Curiosity rover. It wouldn’t affect the ride of the craft, and the stone should eventually fall out on its own over the next few days.
It must be said that the wheels of Perseverance are 20.7 inches wide and are therefore supposed to resist an intrusion of this kind without the slightest concern. These wheels have many improvements compared to those of Curiosity which had been victims of a fairly pronounced wear. In short, there is nothing to fear for the moment.
On the same subject :
One year already ! The Perseverance rover has blown the first candle of its life on Mars
Source: Gizmodo
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