NASA Perseverance Mars Rover Drive Path Animation | JPL

NASA Perseverance Mars Rover Drive Path Animation | JPL

This animated orbital-map view shows the route NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has taken since its February 2021 landing at Jezero Crater to July 2024, when it took its “Cheyava Falls” sample. As of October 2024, the rover has driven over 30 kilometers (18.65 miles), and has collected 24 samples of rock and regolith as well as one air sample.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is currently negotiating a steeply sloping route up Jezero Crater’s western wall with the aim of cresting the rim in early December 2024.

“Mars rovers have driven over steeper terrain, and they’ve driven over more slippery terrain, but this is the first time one had to handle both—and on this scale,” said the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Camden Miller, who was a rover planner, or “driver,” for Curiosity and now serves the same role on the Perseverance mission. “For every two steps forward Perseverance takes, we were taking at least one step back. The rover planners saw this was trending toward a long, hard slog, so we got together to think up some options.”

NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars in 2021 carrying 43 tubes for collecting samples from the Martian surface. So far, Perseverance has sealed and cached 24 samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and dust), plus one atmospheric sample and three witness tubes. 

Celebrating 3+ Years on Mars

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 return to Earth.

Launch: July 30, 2020    

Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Duration: 47 seconds

Release Date: Oct. 28, 2024

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