Jezero crater is an ancient lakebed and the things that make it fascinating for the researchers, the cliffs and the rocks and the craters– these are the important things that make it challenging for the engineers to land there. In order to land securely at Jezero crater, Perseverance required a new innovation called Terrain Relative Navigation.
Surface Relative Navigation is generally like including eyes to Perseverance. For the first time, while coming down to the surface area of Mars, Perseverance was able to take a look at the ground and see it. The rover was then able to find out where it was and after that choose where to touch down based upon the hazards visible from the ground.
This technology enabled Perseverance to thread the needle in between all the different hazards of Jezero crater in order to land safely.
So, how did Perseverance select its specific landing spot? With a brand-new set of eyes that enabled it to land in the most difficult surface ever attempted on Mars.
Find out more about NASAs Terrain Relative Navigation.
By NASA
December 9, 2021
When NASA decides to send out a rover to Mars, an entire group of professionals gets together to figure out where it requires to go for the best science for that objective.
How did NASAs Perseverance Mars rover pick its precise landing area? Its thanks to the work of engineers like NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratorys Swati Mohan and new innovation called Terrain Relative Navigation.
NASAs Mars 2020 mission will have an auto-pilot that helps direct it to safer landings on the Red Planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
How did NASAs Perseverance Mars rover select its specific landing spot? Believe it or not, the Mars rover decided precisely where to land simply minutes prior to it touched down. Its thanks to the work of engineers like NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratorys Swati Mohan and brand-new innovation called Terrain Relative Navigation.
When NASA decides to send a rover to Mars, a whole group of professionals gets together to find out where it requires to opt for the best science for that mission. Determinations mission was to find the signs of previous life on Mars. All the professionals got together and picked Jezero crater.