Organization: NASA JPL
Country: USA
Website: www.jpl.nasa.gov
Year Founded: 1936
Number of Employees: 500+
The Mars 2020 Mission was full of firsts, including the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, the first recordings of sound on Mars and more.
Description:
On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance Rover landed on Mars. The fifth robotic rover traveled 292.5 million miles from Earth to Mars. Developed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the rover is exploring Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago, and searching for microfossils in rocks and soil.
Attached to Perseverance was the Ingenuity Helicopter. Weighing just 4 lb, Ingenuity features four carbon-fiber blades arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm – many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth. At press time, Ingenuity completed five test flights on Mars, becoming the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.
On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance Rover landed on Mars. The fifth robotic rover traveled 292.5 million miles from Earth to Mars. Developed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the rover is exploring Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago, and searching for microfossils in rocks and soil.
Attached to Perseverance was the Ingenuity Helicopter. Weighing just 4 lb, Ingenuity features four carbon-fiber blades arranged into two rotors that spin in opposite directions at around 2,400 rpm – many times faster than a passenger helicopter on Earth. At press time, Ingenuity completed five test flights on Mars, becoming the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.
