The US’ Perseverance rover is just one of three Earth probes to arrive in the Martian system this month. While the United Arab Emirates’ probe will continue to orbit the red planet, China’s spacecraft is expected to deploy its own lander to the surface in May.
The US space agency NASA has released first-of-its-kind footage of the Perseverance spacecraft landing on Mars last week.
Stunning video released by NASA on Friday shows the views from two cameras on the spacecraft – one pointed up and one pointed down – that recorded the terrifying moments from when it deployed its landing parachute about 10 kilometers above the Martian surface until it touched down on the red planet’s surface a little over three minutes later.
While the microphone attached to the landing cameras failed to function, another microphone on the rover itself is working, and the scientists also released audio captured by it, which is the first time sound has been recorded on the surface of an extraterrestrial body.
The landing occurred on what was February 18 back home on Earth.
The heat shield for NASA’s Perseverance spacecraft detaches from the lander about 9 kilometers above the Martian surface
A view of Jezero Crater from NASA’s Perseverance spacecraft, as the craft is about 8 kilometers above the Martian surface
Stabilizing rockets helped slow its descent further until just a few meters above the Martian surface, where the “sky crane” dropped the SUV-sized Perseverance rover down onto the surface before floating away.
Cameras onboard NASA’s Perseverance spacecraft capture the “skycrane” phase of landing on Mars, when the rover was dropped off on the surface of Jezero Crater
NASA’s Perseverance rover snaps a photo of Jezero Crater, Mars, after touching down
NASA said many more images and recordings will be released in the coming days.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
