# Perseverance rover on Mars (was: Mars lander set for Feb 18th landing) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068 "2021-02-02T17:56:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/201 "2021-04-19T11:06:24Z")
It is early morning for me (0604 local). Will post video from Percy if somebody doesn’t beat me to it. Brian ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/202 "2021-04-19T11:13:28Z")
The entire broadcast is **[here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1KolyCqICI)**. The data from the test flight begins to come in at around the 37:00 mark. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/203 "2021-04-19T11:20:41Z")
Video from Percy at about 40:50, but I expect they will extract that bit. Brian ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/204 "2021-04-19T13:19:46Z")
The members of the helicopter team were _so_ happy! Just watching them was enough to bring a smile to your face. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/205 "2021-04-19T13:39:32Z")
The cameras used on Perseverance are truly state of the art. [This article](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11214-020-00765-9#Sec23) describes some of the operating specs ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/206 "2021-04-19T17:03:04Z")
Thanks - that article is long! There’s a press briefing in an hour (11am PT, 2pm ET, 6pm GMT) where hopefully they will release some video. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/207 "2021-04-19T18:46:10Z")
Press conference is in Q&A Video: > **[First Video of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in Flight | Mars Video - NASA](https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/videos/?v=470)** > > In this video captured by NASA's Perseverance rover, the agency's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took the first powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. > [@](#): > > Ingenuity’s chief pilot, Håvard Grip, announced that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – the United Nations’ civil aviation agency – presented NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration with official ICAO designator IGY, call-sign INGENUITY. > > These details will be included officially in the next edition of ICAO’s publication [Designators for Aircraft Operating Agencies, Aeronautical Authorities and Services](https://urldefense.us/v3/ __https:/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fsecure-web.cisco.com*2F1zuRjtBmX0A-hrAEKF_qDnSVfJszxhnRAbh3kVVpJ2Bwc4Vvg1OJiDXuh1yE1hghiQVYYhVea0uYIKQ9tjpmKjtx93TYsdGNiisgFs1uVsb201MTfT1_Ka2SGklU5O9cCYPV3f7lPV7mmwTvRTaKn69vrNH8VEv2Mbt1YWHAxSyLMGUYD014ukj4n5vJLKVQwVEQaMHBdgbSvW3R-Io55LrgVZ0Zk3luNcb_4jcBNXIXBTlA_9qrS_rOSTKSSvsXdCrhAwlbyzsm5hMLb8qIt07v9r8vhtHjd40DC6PlR9RmK-SkZQkj7nmL4Z15pVL7P*2Fhttps*253A*252F*252Fstore.icao.int*252Fen*252Fdesignators-for-aircraft-operating-agencies-aeronautical-authorities-and-services-doc-8585&data=04*7C01*7Cgrey.hautaluoma-1*40nasa.gov*7Cc65792190d62443ff25808d902d0a562*7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b*7C0*7C0*7C637543917426185431*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=uKuCNLPDTJ8g2GyblLdEPiCyn9ea4Cd0l*2FK9VmWij7Y*3D&reserved=0__ ;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!PvBDto6Hs4WbVuu7!aFe1WtK3Bvx3rkK2_vnhVz7FmckxQ-SIuCCxGrKglPyHIBnG9T7NJkIBw4TuIViMMQ$). The location of the flight has also been given the ceremonial location designation JZRO for Jezero Crater. > **[NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight – NASA...](https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8923/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-succeeds-in-historic-first-flight/)** > > The small rotorcraft made history, hovering above Jezero Crater, demonstrating that powered, controlled flight on another planet is possible. Brian ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/208 "2021-04-19T19:05:16Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > The location of the flight has also been given the ceremonial location designation JZRO for Jezero Crater. Better put out a NOTAM. Don’t want any unfortunate accidents. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/209 "2021-04-19T19:29:29Z")
So the official routing for Perseverance (+Ingenuity) was: KXMR JZRO. KXMR = Origin: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Launch Complex 41), USA, Earth JZRO = Destination: Jezero Crater, Mars (No intermediate waypoints.) Now we need an IATA code for Jezero Crater so we can have luggage tags for our checked baggage. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/210 "2021-04-19T22:56:35Z")
I saw that today’s first flight lasted around 40 seconds. Which is an almost perfect Wright brothers moment in extra-planetary aviation, since the first powered flight on earth lasted some 12 seconds. A pioneering moment indeed. It’s funny that we think so little nowadays about the ease of communicating back and forth with our robots on Mars, yet it takes radio signals traveling at the speed of light 17 times longer (at the current distance of Mars) to reach Earth than the total duration of Ingenuity’s first flight. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/211 "2021-04-20T01:49:33Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Now we need an IATA code for Jezero Crater so we can have luggage tags for our checked baggage. Your baggage is lost and is currently orbiting Jupiter… And I do get a kick out of them mentioning “Chief Pilot”. Mars is what, about 3-4 light minutes away, so any signals sent will not be acted upon until 3 minutes after the pilot sends them and if Ingenuity has a problem, it’ll take those 3-4 minutes before we on Earth even know about it. So not exactly like flying a drone in Afghanistan… Still, a very notable accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/212 "2021-04-20T02:08:59Z")
Currently 16 min according to [https://lightdelay.to/](https://lightdelay.to/) All flights are pre-programmed. Brian ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/213 "2021-04-20T02:13:25Z")
Yeah, Mars is currently almost 2x farther away than the Sun. Good news is it’s getting closer every day. It’ll be at it’s closest in Dec 2022. But at just over.5 AU it’ll still take over 4 minutes one way to communicate with. > **[Mars | TheSkyLive.com](https://theskylive.com/mars-info)** > > Discover all the most important facts and information about Mars updated in real time ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/214 "2021-04-20T02:16:18Z")
In FAA-speak, the “Chief Pilot” is a regulatorily required position who is the person in charge of the policies and procedures for the airline or other commercial aviation operation. He flies a desk, deals with the bureaucracy, etc. But sets the tone for how the work out in the field is done. I’m betting NASA Ingenuity’s Chief Pilot is more about planning the operations and ensuring they operate within the mission rules and the machinery’s limitations. No planning 10 minute flights with only a 5 minute energy supply, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/215 "2021-04-21T20:20:01Z")
The oxygen experiment seems to be working: > **[NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen from Red Planet - NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet/)** > > The growing list of “firsts” for Perseverance, NASA’s newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet’s thin, > The growing list of “firsts” for Perseverance, NASA’s newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet’s thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment ([MOXIE](https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/moxie/)) accomplished the task. The test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day, or sol, since the mission landed Feb. 18. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/216 "2021-04-22T16:17:16Z")
_Total Recall_, here we come! ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/217 "2021-04-22T19:29:30Z")
Second flight confirmed. Sideways movement and a new higher altitude! Onlt a relatively short video so far though. [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-logs-second-successful-flight](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-logs-second-successful-flight) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/218 "2021-04-22T19:38:14Z")
That thing is really rock solid in flight. I wonder if the thin atmosphere makes it easier in a way, being much less affected by wind. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/219 "2021-04-22T21:15:34Z")
One thing’s for sure: With that rotor RPM it’ll have some insane gyro forces to counteract any wobbles. I’ve read that wind on Mars is usually not much of an issue. Even if the velocity is high, the low pressure means the forces applied by the wind are real low. The famous “dust storms” are composed of the finest of fine particles that have almost Brownian motion in the atmosphere; gravity almost doesn’t affect them. Which is why the storms are so long-lasting. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068/220 "2021-04-23T00:43:35Z")
And a cool green rock: > **[What's up with this weird green rock on Mars? Perseverance rover is trying to...](https://www.space.com/perseverance-rover-spots-strange-rock-on-mars)** > > NASA's Perseverance rover is studying a strange rock on Mars as it waits for its companion helicopter to attempt its first flight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perseverance-rover-on-mars-was-mars-lander-set-for-feb-18th-landing/932068.md?page=12)