NASA's Mars rover deploys wind sensor

Washington, March 4

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NASA’s Perseverance rover which landed on Mars on February 18 has now deployed its wind sensor, part of the rover’s weather station, which is called the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA).

According to a report in Space.com on Wednesday, the deployment of wind sensor can be understood from the before-and-after pictured snapped by the robot’s navigation cameras.

NASA said that since landing, the rover has gone through checks on every system and subsystem and sent back thousands of images from Jezero Crater. These checks will continue in the coming days, and the rover will make its first drives.

Each system checkout and milestone completed marks a significant step forward as the rover prepares for surface operations.

The primary mission is slated for one Martian year, or 687 Earth days.

NASA said that since the rover touched down at Jezero Crater, mission controllers have made substantial progress as they prepare the rover for the unpaved road ahead.

Mission team members from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California will discuss mission “firsts” achieved so far and those to come in a media teleconference on Friday.

The six-wheeled vehicle, which is NASA’s largest, most sophisticated Mars rover yet, will now spend at least the next two years drilling into the local rocks, looking for evidence of past life. IANS