This animated orbital map shows the route NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has taken from the time of landing until October 11, the day it broke the off-world driving record. TAKEAWAY NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover broke a world record on October 11. The rover traveled the longest distance on another world than any other vehicle. The milestone came as the rover was exploring traces of ancient hydrothermal systems. On November 11, the rover reached 45.10 miles, surpassing the previous record of 45.06 miles set by NASA’s Opportunity rover. The milestone also marks three decades of NASA rover operations on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took a self-portrait against a sweeping backdrop of ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls “Lac de Charmes.” (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS / NASA) “The original mission required no more than 12.4 miles of driving,” said Steven Lee, project manager for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We’ve far surpassed that, and with all mobility systems fully operational and favorable results from extended life tests on the ground, we expect Perseverance to continue to extend this record for many years to come.” STUNNING VIEWS: NASA RELEASES 12,000 NEW PHOTOS FROM THE ARTEMIS II MISSION The milestone came as Perseverance traveled toward an area called “Idubi,” a region off the western rim of Jezero Crater, where the rover is investigating what may be some of the oldest terrain ever explored in the solar system. NASA’s Perseverance rover captures stunning images (enhanced color) (NASA) According to NASA, the goal of exploration is to find traces of ancient hydrothermal systems. Using its autonomous navigation system, known as AutoNav, the rover captures images of the terrain as it moves, builds a three-dimensional map of potential hazards and plots a course between landmarks selected by the rover’s planners on Earth. NASA’S PERSEVERANCE ROVER CAPTURES STUNNING SELFIE IN ANCIENT MARtian TERRAIN Perseverance has traveled more than 90% of its total distance using AutoNav to assess the terrain, compared to about 5% for the first Martian AutoNav system on Opportunity. NASA’s Perseverance Rover captures stunning images (NASA) “Our newest software teaches Perseverance to spin less and spin more, and to check its own position with mid-course orbital maps,” said Mark Maimone, deputy head of the robotics operations team at Perseverance. “If we teach the rover to see beyond those artifacts, every rover that follows will have a longer work day,” he continued.
