By NASA
July 14, 2022
Mars Perseverance Sol 488 – Appropriate Mastcam-Z Camera: Sand ripples imaged with Mastcam-Z on sol 488. These ripples will most possible be reimaged for alternate detection while the rover is parked here at Skinner Ridge rock. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover is currently stopped for sampling at Skinner Ridge rock. A extremely notable aspect of Perseverance’s mission is sampling activities, and which potential truth the rover’s strategic route is developed around sampling stops. All the map via these stops, the rover must live stationary for on the least twelve sols (Mars-days) in picture to behavior proximity science and activities connected to abrasion and coring. Nonetheless, there would possibly be any other advantage to staying in one region for this form of very very prolonged time.
Sampling stops provide uncommon opportunities to construct “alternate detection” experiments, which would possibly possibly be damaged-down to discover aeolian — or wind-driven — transport of sand. The foremost concept slack alternate detection is easy: to gape for wind-triggered motion of sand, study equal photographs of the skin obtained at a vary of instances. The relative depth and route of the winds that were blowing within the interval between the 2 photographs will most possible be inferred from these observations. Sand deposits and aeolian bedforms (resembling the sand ripples viewed within the accompanying Mastcam-Z image on the tip of this text) are very supreme targets for alternate detection.
The Mars Perseverance rover is rarely any longer the foremost spacecraft to construct this form of imaging experiment. Finally, alternate detection experiments have been performed since the earliest missions sent to Mars, stretching encourage for heaps of decades. Theories developed earlier than robotic exploration predicted that up-to-the-minute Martian winds would ceaselessly, if ever, have the flexibility to transporting sand. Paradoxically, alternate detection photographs obtained from orbiting cameras have revealed the full of life migration of sand dunes across the planet.
Constructing items that can successfully imprint and predict aeolian insist on Mars is serious for interpreting the planet’s climatic and geologic historical previous. It’s moreover mandatory for mitigating risks to landed spacecraft and future human explorers. Flooring missions enable scientists to gawk ongoing aeolian insist in greater detail and with greater spatiotemporal resolution than would possibly possibly moreover moreover be achieved from orbit, which is serious for reconciling the discrepancy between theory and commentary. Sand motion has been observed and studied in situ at spacecraft touchdown sites, including Gale crater and Jezero crater. Photographs obtained for the length of Perseverance’s ongoing activities at Skinner Ridge rock and at future sampling stops will most possible be damaged-down to extra symbolize the aeolian atmosphere in Jezero and would possibly possibly moreover fair peaceful provide new perception into enigmatic Martian winds.
Written by Mariah Baker, Planetary Scientist at Smithsonian Nationwide Air & Home Museum