Perseverance Mars Rover

Pet Rock

Twenty five years of rovers.

The perseverance rover, the 5th of 5 landed rover on Mars was expected to last at least 2 years.

The landing on February 18th 2021 was the beginning of the rovers science phase. The program included a small drone helicopter and an interest in volcanic tubes, as well as looking for signs of life.

The names of the last five American rovers are Sojourner, Sport,Opportunity, and Curiosity,

Tiawem 1 China Mission

On May the 15th 2022, The Chinese People’s Republic Landed their rover called Zhurong. The probe landed in the Utopic plain on May 18th 2022. This was close to the 1976 landing area of the US Viking lander.

The Chinese have reported finding water with their mission. There our reports that both the probe and the Chinese government have been silent since September following the main landing.

Pet Rock 🐶

There are multiple reports that a stone was on the base of the vehicle and it didn’t get picked up by accident “tongue on cheek.’ People called it Percy’s pet rock, I guess the distinguish from the mission collection of rocks that are intended to be brought to a place to be retrieved by a landing and returning vessel within the next decade.

So, the pet rock is now gone and it’s left to us to wonder if Percy has an attention span problem. Nasa is asking the question ™ will Perseverance last? ”

Enough levity

The surface of Mars is subject to winds and sand with dirt having overtime polluted the solar panels of rovers making them shut down until providential wind (if that’s the right word) comes along and removes it to give it another charge. This maybe the case.

Many vehicles have been to Mars over the last five decades, it was probably a little more than a holding pattern when the man missions to the Moon stopped about the same time and now relevance is back because there’s a manned mission going to the Moon to make a permanent presence there and an ability to travel to Mars with man missions from the Moon. The world will never be the same, good luck.

Watch Rover 👀