The landing of Perseverance, NASA’s new Martian rover, is a new episode in the Martian conquest, which the Cité des sciences invites you to experience live on its YouTube.
The session will begin live at 7 p.m. and will be hosted by Gilles Dawidowicz, member of the SAF and Frédéric Castel, science journalist.
Be on Martian time !
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The evening promises a dive into the current state of knowledge on the Red Planet, in the presence of numerous French experts and engineers who will be on the plateau or through links established with CNES in Toulouse and the JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in the United States.
Scientists from Paris Observatory - PSL, closely associated with the realization of SuperCam, the "head" of Perseverance, will participate.
It will also talk about the major steps and challenges in the search for traces of life that await NASA’s brand new mission : equipped with 23 cameras (almost all in color), as well as two microphones, the first to reach the surface of Mars, it is a feat of technology.
At the same time, the approach phase of the mission to the planet will be to live intensely.
"7 minutes of terror"
The highlight of the evening, the descent and landing phase of Perseverance : a moment rich in emotion !
7 minutes : it is the duration that Perseverance will take to reach the Martian ground, after its entry in the atmosphere. 150 kilometers will then be covered with a strong deceleration, the system going from a speed of 20,000km/h to 2.5 km/h. The moment will be delicate as it requires a precise trajectory.
Controlled atmospheric re-entry, descent under a supersonic parachute, powered descent, separation of the descent stage, deployment of the rover wheels, ground contact... These will be the main stages of the landing.
Not to be missed under any circumstances !
Including the participation of :}
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Event organized in partnership with the Astronomical Society of France (SAF) and the magazine L’Astronomie.
Perverance in brief
On February 18, 2021, after a journey of nearly seven months, the rover Perseverance landed on Martian soil.
This new NASA mission, the result of an international collaboration, has four objectives :
- to continue the geological exploration of its predecessors Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity ;
- to search for traces of life ;
- to take samples and plan their return to Earth ; and finally, to return to Earth ;
- to prepare for human exploration.
Perseverance carries seven instruments, a sample collection and conditioning system and Ingenuity, the "helicopter" drone.
The SuperCam instrument was designed and built by French researchers and engineers, in cooperation with American and Spanish partners.
It will study the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks and soils of Mars, as well as the composition of its atmosphere.
A mission that is not lacking in challenges and marks a new stage in the search for life in our Solar System.