Planet Mars: Martian Dust Devil Detected | NASA's Perseverance Rover | JPL

Planet Mars: Martian Dust Devil Detected | NASA's Perseverance Rover | JPL

 

 

Can you spot it? "A dust devil is something that happens both on Earth and on Mars and looks somewhat like a mini-tornado. As with tornadoes, dust devils are spinning columns of air. Such a column is called a vortex—you might see the same effect when you let water run down a bathtub drain . . . Unlike tornadoes, dust devils aren't usually associated with storms."
—Dr. Ken Edgett, a staff scientist at Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California

Mission Name: Mars 2020
Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.
Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity)
Launch: July 30, 2020    
Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit: mars.nasa.gov

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
Processing: Kevin M. Gill
Image Release Date: April 6, 2023


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