Preparing to Land Perseverance

November 10, 2020
CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech
Language
  • english

To prepare the Perseverance rover for its date with Mars, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission team conducted a wide array of tests to help ensure a successful entry, descent and landing at the Red Planet. From parachute verification in the world’s largest wind tunnel, to hazard avoidance practice in Death Valley, California, to wheel drop testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and much more, every system was put through its paces to get ready for the big day.

The Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on Mars on February 18, 2021.

Transcript:

[mortar firing]

Preparing to Land Perseverance

The following tests, conducted from 2017-2020, helped prepare NASA’s Perseverance rover for its landing on Mars.

[music]

Centrifuge Spin Test
Santa Clarita, CA June 2019

[music]

Parachute Firing Test
Moses Lake, WA May 2019

[music]

[mortar firing]

[mortar firing]

[clapping]

Parachute Wind Tunnel Test
NASA’s Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA June 2017

[music]

[mortar firing]

[wind]

[clapping]

Lander Vision System Test
For Avoiding Landing Hazards
Death Valley, CA May 2019

[helicopter taking off]

[music]

Rover Wheel Drop Test
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Southern CA August 2019

[wheel dropping]

[hitting rock]

[hitting rock]

Perseverance Landing on Mars 2.18.2021

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