NASA’s expensive Mars exploration Curiosity rover is finally doing what it was created to do: rove. Following a successful wheel test, the probe moved forward. Photo Gallery: Curiosity Rover Makes First Tracks on Mars article tells that Curiosity beamed back some incredible images of its tracks, which tell scientists that the soil is firm, great for mobility, and won’t cause the rover to sink much. Curiosity also pulled out its big scientific guns, firing a laser beam at several rocks in the vicinity.
Yes, the Mars rover cost $2bn – but it’s far from a waste of money. Landing Curiosity on Mars was Way Harder and Way Less Expensive than the Olympics. Curiosity rover is about the size of a small SUV and weighs almost 900 kg. It uses scoops, cameras, drills, a powerful rock-vaporizing infrared laser, and 75 kilograms of scientific instruments to perform its investigation. Curiosity is very much based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. Wind River’s VxWorks real-time operating system serves as the software platform for all functionality. Seeing the successful commencement of the Curiosity mission – powered by COTS – is certainly a cause for celebration amongst engineers.
Plan Make Your Own LEGO Curiosity Rover for fun? Stephen Pakbaz designed a custom Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory Rover set, complete with PDF build instructions and parts lists. LEGO Cusoo pages have another model of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, named Curiosity designed by a Mechanical Engineer who worked on the actual Curiosity. A LEGO Digital Designer model and step-by-step .pdf instructions of the Curiosity rover are now freely available.
Rovio sticks some Martian action into Angry Birds Space and has released the following funny advertisement video that features Curiosity rover and Angry Birds.
284 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/02/an-up-close-look-at-the-first-martian-helicopter/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/02/the-open-source-mars-rover-one-year-later/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Geocaching On Mars: How Perseverance Will Seal Martian Samples With A Return To Earth In Mind
https://hackaday.com/2020/07/30/geocaching-on-mars-how-perseverance-will-seal-martian-samples-with-a-return-to-earth-in-mind/
Tomi Engdahl says:
An Up-Close Look At The First Martian Helicopter
https://hackaday.com/2020/09/02/an-up-close-look-at-the-first-martian-helicopter/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Network of Hidden Lakes Has Been Found Under The Surface of Mars, Scientists Say
https://www.sciencealert.com/multiple-underground-lakes-of-liquid-water-have-been-found-on-mars
Tomi Engdahl says:
Multiple Salty Lakes Discovered On Mars Underneath Its South Pole
https://www.iflscience.com/space/multiple-salty-lakes-discovered-on-mars-underneath-its-south-pole/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ideas for Your Own (Backyard) Mars Rover
https://www.instructables.com/Ideas-for-Your-Own-Backyard-Mars-Rover/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Interconnect Technology Wings its Way to Mars
A 2-mm cPCI connector with hyperboloid contacts will help the Perseverence Rover explore the Red Planet and seek signs of ancient microbial life.
https://www.mwrf.com/markets/defense/article/21145046/interconnect-technology-wings-its-way-to-mars?utm_source=RF+MWRF+Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS201019023&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
On July 30, 2020, NASA’s Mars Exploration Program sent its Perseverance Rover on its way for a Martian touchdown on February 18, 2021. Missions like these require the utmost in environmental ruggedness from all of the constituent elements of the system. One of those elements, a high-performance, ruggedized 2-mm CompactPCI (cPCI) connector from Smiths Interconnect, will be onboard the Perseverence Rover, the most sophisticated rover yet to emerge from NASA’s labs.
The 2-mm connector provides the rover with a high-reliability connector that meets the stringent mechanical, electrical, and environmental performance requirements. The interconnect underwent rigorous testing for extreme environmental conditions, including thermal excursions, corrosive atmospheres, excessive shock and vibration, contact engagement/separation cycling, and other key NASA requirements at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.
The cPCI 2-mm connectors are based on Smiths Interconnect’s Hypertac hyperboloid contact technology, known for its immunity to shock, vibration, and fretting. Tested to high-level space and aerospace standards
Designed to be the most sophisticated rover NASA has built, the Mars Perseverance Rover will use advanced systems to explore the diverse geological landscape, discover ancient habitats, gather rock and soil samples that will be returned to Earth and demonstrate cutting-edge technology for future human exploration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Look what landed in my yard! Snow Rover!”
Images courtesy of NASA and JPL Solar System Ambassador Mark A. Brown.
https://www.facebook.com/367116489976035/posts/4379505928737051/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3 interesting tidbits that Curiosity has uncovered during its 8 years at Mars’ Gale crater. http://on.forbes.com/6181HjqgF
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three Spacecraft Are About To Arrive At Mars. Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Them
http://on.forbes.com/6186H5iNe
You’d be forgiven for letting it slip your mind, but last July three spacecraft launched to Mars. Now, after a journey of seven months, they’re all about to arrive.
The missions are from three different countries – the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), China, and the U.S. – and they all launched within a few weeks of each other.
The first of the three to arrive is going to be the U.A.E.’s Hope spacecraft, which launched on July 19 and should enter orbit around the Red Planet tomorrow, Tuesday, February 9.
Weighing in at 1,350 kilograms and with a cost of $200 million, the spacecraft will be situated between 20,000 and 43,000 kilometers above the surface of Mars, completing an orbit once every 55 hours.
Following right on its footsteps will be China’s Tianwen-1 mission, which launched on July 23 and is set to enter orbit around Mars on Wednesday, February 10.
The mission comprises an orbiter weighing about 3,000 kilogrgams and a rover weighing in at 240 kilograms.
Then, on February 18, it’s the big one. NASA’s $2.7 billion Perseverance rover, having launched from Earth on July 30, is scheduled to touch down in Jezero Crater on Mars.
Perseverance, weighing in at 1,025 kilograms, is aesthetically identical to its predecessor Curiosity, which touched down on Mars in August 2012. This time around, however, it has more ambitious science goals.
While Curiosity looked for evidence that Mars was once habitable – confirming that was the case – Perseverance will be actively looking for past life on Mars.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://innovate.ieee.org/innovation-spotlight/mars-touchdown/
Tomi Engdahl says:
NASA stares into dark, freaky pit on Mars
If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze into you. Nietzsche could have been talking about Mars.
https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-stares-into-dark-freaky-pit-on-mars/?PostType=link&UniqueID=D78E5924-6CEF-11EB-90C6-09CE39982C1E&ftag=COS-05-10aaa0a&ServiceType=facebook_page&TheTime=2021-02-12T05%3A04%3A53
Tomi Engdahl says:
Algae Could Be Grown On Mars To Sustain Human Life
https://www.iflscience.com/space/algae-could-be-grown-on-mars-to-sustain-human-life/
Tomi Engdahl says:
NASA’s Mars rover successfully touches down on the red planet
Perseverance is now set to begin a two-year mission to roam the Martian surface and search for signs of ancient microbial life.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasas-mars-rover-perseverance-touches-red-planet-rcna295?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/aerospace/space-flight/nasa-perseverance-rover-lands-at-mars-jezero-crater
Tomi Engdahl says:
British Columbia Radio Amateur Copies Signal from Mars-Orbiting Satellite
http://www.arrl.org/news/british-columbia-radio-amateur-copies-signal-from-mars-orbiting-satellite
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Mars becomes the second planet that has more computers running Linux than Windows.”
Linux has made it to Mars
The Red Planet runs on Linux
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/19/22291324/linux-perseverance-mars-curiosity-ingenuity
Yesterday, NASA landed a rover named Perseverance on Mars. I, along with 2 million other people, watched the landing happen live on YouTube. It was beautiful. I mean, here’s this little robot dude that’s traveled millions and millions of miles through the barrenness of space, and now it’s just hanging out on Mars taking pics and scientific samples! (Perseverance joins older sibling Curiosity on the surface of the Red Planet. Hope they have a nice time together!)
“This the first time we’ll be flying Linux on Mars,” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) senior engineer Tim Canham said in an interview with the the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). “The software framework that we’re using is one that we developed at JPL for cubesats and instruments, and we open-sourced it a few years ago.” It’s called F’ (pronounced “F prime”). The fact that it’s open source means if you want to fly with Linux here on Earth using the same software JPL does, you absolutely can.
“It’s kind of an open-source victory, because we’re flying an open-source operating system and an open-source flight software framework and flying commercial parts that you can buy off the shelf if you wanted to do this yourself someday,” Canham said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazing stuff. A 360-degree live view of Mission Control. Click and drag to look in any direction you want, live!
Perseverance Mars Rover
https://youtu.be/GIooAx_GkJs
Tomi Engdahl says:
How NASA Designed a Helicopter That Could Fly Autonomously on Mars
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/aerospace/robotic-exploration/nasa-designed-perseverance-helicopter-rover-fly-autonomously-mars
Tucked under the belly of the Perseverance rover that will be landing on Mars in just a few days is a little helicopter called Ingenuity. Its body is the size of a box of tissues, slung underneath a pair of 1.2m carbon fiber rotors on top of four spindly legs. It weighs just 1.8kg, but the importance of its mission is massive. If everything goes according to plan, Ingenuity will become the first aircraft to fly on Mars.
In order for this to work, Ingenuity has to survive frigid temperatures, manage merciless power constraints, and attempt a series of 90 second flights while separated from Earth by 10 light minutes. Which means that real-time communication or control is impossible.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“We essentially went out and used a lot of off-the-shelf consumer hardware.”
Fun fact: The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter features SparkFun Electronics, Inc. parts!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linux Is Now on Mars, Thanks to NASA’s Perseverance Rover
https://uk.pcmag.com/drones/131849/linux-is-now-on-mars-thanks-to-nasas-perseverance-rover
Previous NASA Mars rovers mostly used an operating system from Wind River Systems. But this time, the space agency chose Linux for Perseverance’s Ingenuity helicopter drone.
The tidbit was mentioned in an interview NASA software engineer Tim Canham gave to IEEE Spectrum. The helicopter-like drone on board the Perseverance rover uses a Linux-powered software framework the space agency open-sourced a few years ago. “This the first time we’ll be flying Linux on Mars. We’re actually running on a Linux operating system,” Canham said.
It also might be the first time NASA has brought a Linux-based device to Mars. “There isn’t a previous use of Linux that I’m aware of, definitely on the previous rovers,” Canham told PCMag in an email.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Perseverance’s First Full-Color Look at Mars
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25612/perseverances-first-full-color-look-at-mars/
This is the first high-resolution, color image to be sent back by the Hazard Cameras (Hazcams) on the underside of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on Feb. 18, 2021.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NASA says some Earth organisms could temporarily survive on Mars
It could have big implications for space travel.
https://engt.co/3brkc8D
We could unknowingly contaminate Mars and any other world we’re exploring in the future with microorganisms from our planet. Scientists from NASA and the German Aerospace Center launched several fungal and bacterial organisms to the stratosphere back in 2019 as part of the MARSBOx experiment. The stratosphere, the second major layer of the Earth’s atmosphere located above the ozone layer, has conditions that closely resemble the Red Planet and is perfect place to send samples to in order to figure out if they’d survive on Mars. Now, the scientists have published a paper on their findings, where they discussed how the spores of black mold survived the trip.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Even the Mars Rover Uses Zip Ties
If they’re good enough for NASA, then who cares if your Civic has one or 10? Or 100?
https://www.thedrive.com/tech/39426/even-the-mars-rover-has-zip-ties
Tomi Engdahl says:
NASA Update: First Helicopter To Land On Mars Sends Back Valuable Info
https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/first-helicopter-lands-with-mars-perseverance-rover
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/space/watch-the-incredible-footage-of-perseverances-landing-and-the-first-audio-from-another-planet/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Former NASA Mission Manager Reflects on a ‘Flawless’ Mars Landing
https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/stories/blog/38614?utm_source=TB_Main_News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210223&oly_enc_id=2460E0071134A8V
As the Perseverance rover landed on the Mars surface last week, Darin Skelly watched from his living room, with engineering notes in hand.
A former NASA engineer and operations integrator, Skelly supported many of the early Mars-focused missions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), for example, Skelly specialized in the integration between satellites and robotic vehicles.
That launch and integration expertise allowed him to work on the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft, which landed a base station with a roving probe on Mars in 1997, and other early rovers like Sojourner, the 2001 Mars Odyssey, and the MER-A and MER-B probes. Skelly was the mission integration manager for the April 7, 2001 Mars Odyssey launch.
Skelly has since moved from NASA to a Herndon, VA-based national-security company that supports all of the communication systems for the Deep Space Network . The international array of 70-meter antennas provides the communication links between the engineers on Earth and the mission and science instruments on Mars.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/space/nasas-perseverance-took-its-first-test-drive-on-mars/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Insane Engineering of the Perseverance Rover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqqaW8DCc-I
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/robotic-exploration/mars-sample-return-mission
Tomi Engdahl says:
China’s space agency now has parked in orbit around Mars #Tianwen-1, which in May sometime will be releasing a rover to land on the Martian surface. What you need to know about NASA #Perseverance’s fellow explorer, should it survive the descent.
Here’s What You Need to Know About China’s Mars Rover
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-flight/what-you-need-to-know-about-china-mars-rover-tianwen-1
NASA’s Perseverance rover made its spectacular landing on Mars in February, but there’s another spacecraft still awaiting its chance at setting down on the Red Planet.
Tianwen-1, China’s first interplanetary expedition, successfully and spectacularly entered Mars orbit February 10. Consisting of both an orbiter and rover, the spacecraft has been circling Mars, preparing for its own landing attempt.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA)—the public face of a generally lowkey, taciturn space program—has said the Tianwen-1 rover will land sometime in May or June.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/19/the-wright-stuff-first-powered-flight-on-mars-is-a-success/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/19/nasa-makes-history-by-flying-a-helicopter-on-mars-for-the-first-time/
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56799755
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/space-robots/nasa-extends-mars-helicopter-mission-will-scout-for-perseverance-rover
The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has been doing an amazing job flying on Mars. Over the last several weeks it has far surpassed its original goal of proving that flight on Mars was simply possible, and is now showing how such flights are not only practical but also useful.
To that end, NASA has decided that the little helicopter deserves to not freeze to death quite so soon, and the agency has extended its mission for at least another month, giving it the opportunity to scout a new landing site to keep up with Perseverance as the rover starts its own science mission.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hang on to those cheap 3D glasses, you’re going to Mars.
You Can Now Watch Ingenuity Fly On Mars In Glorious 3D As If You Were Right There
https://www.iflscience.com/space/you-can-now-watch-ingenuity-fly-on-mars-in-glorious-3d-as-if-you-were-right-there/
If you’ve got a pair of 3D or red/blue glasses leftover from a trip to the movies, you are in for a treat. You can now watch NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, soaring across the landscape of the Red Planet in glorious 3D. You can watch it rise up and fly 50 meters (164 feet) from the Wright Brothers airfield on its third flight as if you were standing on the surface of Mars itself and watching.
The video was recorded from Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z instrument, a zoomable dual-camera located on the rover’s mast. The camera is capable of stereo-imaging, which allowed scientists here on Earth to turn the slightly different perspective into an immersive view of Mars.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Mars Rover Smiles For The Camera
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/28/3d-printed-mars-rover-smiles-for-the-camera/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2021/06/07/diy-perseverance-rover-replica-looks-and-moves-like-nasas/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/space/sun-looks-like-every-planet-solar-system/
Tomi Engdahl says:
China’s Mars Rover Goes Exploring
https://hackaday.com/2021/06/30/chinas-mars-rover-goes-exploring/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/06/05/3d-printed-scale-model-of-perseverance-rover-seems-as-complicated-as-the-real-one/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/24/us-china-space-race-takes-off-as-beijing-announces-crewed-missions-to-mars/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/02/22/stunning-footage-of-perseverance-landing-on-mars/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Perseverance Finally Bags A Sample Of Mars To Return To Earth
https://www.iflscience.com/space/perseverance-finally-bags-a-sample-of-mars-to-return-to-earth/
After failing on its first attempt to collect a sample of Martian soil for eventual return to Earth, Perseverance has successfully scooped a sample on its second attempt. This marks the first time a sample has been recovered on the planet. However, it won’t be making the interplanetary journey for analysis any time soon. Any hints of ancient life on Mars it might reveal will have to wait.
Despite the increasing sophistication of the analytical devices on board the Mars rovers, their capacities lag a long way behind laboratories on Earth. Consequently, part of Perseverance’s mission is to take samples from particularly interesting-looking rocks or rubble, storing each in one of its 43 sample tubes. At some point in the future, tentatively scheduled for 2026-31, a mission will visit Mars that will be capable of making a round trip, bringing Perseverance’s collection home.
Mike johnson says:
Nasa’s Mars rover Perseverance has taken a short drive two weeks after touching down
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/06/perseverance-mars-rover-nasa-releases-first-drive-review
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mars Is Safe for Humans, But Only for Four-Year Missions
https://interestingengineering.com/mars-is-safe-for-humans-but-only-for-four-years
Turns out, deadly space radiation puts a hard limit on living on Mars.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Achieving Power Density for NASA Aircraft and Mars Rovers
Sept. 22, 2021
From panels to arrays, solar energy—backed by battery power—may be the best solution to power management for satellites.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/power-management/whitepaper/21176132/electronic-design-achieving-power-density-for-nasa-aircraft-and-mars-rovers?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Analog%20%26%20Power%20Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS210915035&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
EMI Mitigation on NASA Spacecraft
Oct. 19, 2021
NASA is ramping up efforts in space travel with the Mars Perseverance Rover, the Artemis program, and ultimately humans landing on Mars. This article will delve into a possible concern in space travel that’s not often mentioned: EMI in spacecraft.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/power-management/whitepaper/21178809/electronic-design-emi-mitigation-on-nasa-spacecraft?utm_source=EG%20ED%20Analog%20%26%20Power%20Source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS211004100&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
ExoMars discovers hidden water in Mars’ Grand Canyon
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars/ExoMars_discovers_hidden_water_in_Mars_Grand_Canyon
The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has spotted significant amounts of water at the heart of Mars’ dramatic canyon system, Valles Marineris.
The water, which is hidden beneath Mars’ surface, was found by the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)’s FREND instrument, which is mapping the hydrogen – a measure of water content – in the uppermost metre of Mars’ soil.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.sciencealert.com/mystery-cube-found-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon-is-probably-not-an-alien-hut