WATCH LIVE: NASA's Perseverance Rover lands on Mars

Baz · Baz's Garage

NASA’s Perseverance Rover has reached the Red Planet and will go through the final phase known as Entry, Descent and Landing. Perseverance was launched on July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, aboard an ULA’s Atlas V-541 rocket, and will land on Mars at Jezero Crater after travelling about 293 million miles, or 471 million kilometers.

Landing window begins at 03:55pm ET (08:55pm UTC)

Sooner or later · 02-18-2021, 06:00 AM

7 minutes of terror!

I hope Percy makes it.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

It should be very interesting. I will be watching.

flatbutt · 02-18-2021, 06:09 AM

Oh yeah it's on todays calendar.

RNajarian · RNajarian's Garage

Godspeed ! Most ambitious to date. I still remember the Viking Missions of 1976. The cameras were Fax machines. It panned from left to right. It took 2-3 minutes to take one photo.

ckelly78z · 02-18-2021, 06:52 AM

Way cool, i'll try to catch it in 4 hours.

beepbeep · 02-18-2021, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RNajarian

Godspeed ! Most ambitious to date. I still remember the Viking Missions of 1976. The cameras were Fax machines. It panned from left to right. It took 2-3 minutes to take one photo.

Cameras were flying spot scanners. Scanning mirror and panning cameras. Actually a very good option when you are not in a hurry...resolution is limited only on how slowly you scan

I also remember those first pictures.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

It is interesting they are sending microphones to Mars. With the air so thin what sounds can actually be transmitted? I guess the sound of something like a Marsquake might make a sound.

javadog · 02-18-2021, 12:02 PM

You can probably hear a strong wind, or the rover tires crunching across the ground.

I think the microphones will be on during the descent, so that might be interesting.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

The atmosphere is ONLY 0.088 psi. That is nearly a vacuum. My vacuum pump might not get much better of a vacuum in my AC system when pulling a vacuum before a recharge.

I can't imagine much sound is transmitted in that. It is 0.0059 of our atmosphere.

javadog · 02-18-2021, 12:23 PM

Wind speeds can be pretty high on Mars. That can make up for some of the density differences.

gregpark · 02-18-2021, 12:41 PM

Heads up! Tune in, minutes away

javadog · 02-18-2021, 12:59 PM

I didn't hear a splat. Glen, did you hear a splat?

dad911 · 02-18-2021, 12:59 PM

touchdown

Sooner or later · 02-18-2021, 01:01 PM

Whooo hooooo

javadog · 02-18-2021, 01:01 PM

When the speed was somethinig like 5km/sec at an altitude of around 60km, I got a little worried....

L8Brakr · 02-18-2021, 01:02 PM

Touch down and communicating!!!

As for the atmosphere question.....if there is enough to make the parachute effective, I would think that sound transmission is possible (non scientist logic).

Damn......Math that I'll never begin to understand works!

gregpark · 02-18-2021, 01:04 PM

Cool beans. That's a room full of happy nerds! good for them, they've worked hard for a long time for this moment

Eric Hahl · Eric Hahl's Garage

Right on! Glad to see a new rover working the planet.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by L8Brakr

Touch down and communicating!!!

As for the atmosphere question.....if there is enough to make the parachute effective, I would think that sound transmission is possible (non scientist logic).

Damn......Math that I'll never begin to understand works!

The parachute only helps when they are going REALLY fast at initial atmosphere entry. Lower down it is useless hence the rockets or "skytrain" lowering.