Six months earlier, we started the devoted examination of the Jezero crater flooring, and now in December 2021 we are more than midway through this very first science project. Since our very first tasting experience at Roubion and our very first sample set from the Rochette rock, we have actually gathered a 2nd sample set, this time from an area of the crater flooring called Séítah at the Brac rock. As we now get ready to get our next, and 3rd, sample set, in Séítah, we can have a look back at the actions that brought Perseverance and its group here.
Though we have actually just been running Perseverance because landing 9 months earlier, we have actually been preparing for the objective for far longer. Our preparation began in the summer season of 2019, when the science group started producing a geologic map of Jezero crater utilizing orbital information, to develop a geologic structure that would assist us evaluate our hypotheses on the ground. We still utilize this map every day in our everyday operations and science conversations, continuously referencing our working geological design for Jezero and upgrading it based upon our newest observations.
From the spring of 2020 up until quickly prior to landing, the group produced the tactical objective strategy that would direct our everyday rover operations even to this day– in spite of not understanding then where Perseverance would in fact land! We designed various drive courses and sample collections based upon theoretical landing places, utilizing info and our understanding from orbital information just. For example, if we arrived at the delta, how far would we drive down onto the crater flooring? What rock types would be very important to sample, and which places appear most appealing for tasting? These early conversations focused not on producing the specific schedule that Perseverance would follow, however on establishing the science concerns and techniques that would assist in the effective choices we would need to make when Perseverance was roaming on the ground.
Soon after landing, we used this tactical strategy to our now-known landing place at Octavia E. Butler Landing and got to work building a thorough project strategy to check out the Jezero crater flooring– this time equipped with brand-new images from the surface area of Mars We recognized the significant places of interest to check out with Perseverance, prepared the tactical drive paths in between these places, detailed the attributes of preferred awaited samples, and built a top-level calendar predicting when we intended to attain project turning points. This project strategy is what has actually been directing Perseverance’s expedition for the previous half year– naturally with variations as we see or discover brand-new aspects of the Jezero environment around us.
As the Campaign Co-Lead for the Crater Floor Campaign, it has actually been an interesting and humbling experience to see how our strategies have actually developed from top-level tactical ideas a couple of years ago to the in-depth, everyday schedule and prepares that we develop every day. In this very first year in Jezero, we have actually studied an abundant geologic history that we might not observe from orbit, and we have actually likewise seen how our early forecasts compare to the truths of running a rover, which will notify our preparation for future projects. Mars remains in numerous methods unforeseeable, however that simply makes expedition even more interesting and fulfilling.
Written by Vivian Sun, Science Operations Systems Engineer, Staff Scientist at NASA/ JPL