NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has set a world record by driving farther than any vehicle has ever travelled on the surface of another world. On October 11, the rover’s odometer reached 45.22 kilometres, surpassing the previous record of 45.16 kilometres set by NASA’s Opportunity rover, which explored Mars from 2004 to 2018, according to NASA .
Mars does not have tectonic plates. At Idubi, the science team hopes to find traces of ancient hydrothermal systems. The team therefore expects Perseverance to continue adding to its record for many years.
A post shared by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (@nasajpl) NASA’s first Mars rover, Sojourner, assessed the path ahead using 20 measurement points. Perseverance processes 600,000 measurement points every time it examines the terrain.
The rocks and terrain in Lac de Charmes are so ancient that their equivalents on Earth have long since been erased by erosion and plate tectonics, according to NASA . Steven Lee, project manager of the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said the rover’s technological progress had made such drives routine. Lee said all the rover’s mobility systems remained fully operational and extended-ground-life test results were favourable.
NASA recently approved the mission’s first extension, which began in October and will allow Perseverance to continue exploring the rim of Jezero Crater until approximately the end of 2028.
