This system will result in the most accurate landing in NASA’s history.

As they approached the lunar plane, NASA astronauts … left sight. For persistence, the rover is about to land on Mars, it would be the same thing. Except that there will be no astronauts on board. But an automated system that will compare live, the photos that take the terrain with pre-recorded maps so that its position can be determined with great accuracy.

After a journey of about seven months Solar System, To NASA Firmness Rover Is approaching Mars. It will land on Thursday, February 18, 2021 Jzero crater. And if the place was chosen for its great scientific interest – it is believed to have placed a delta of rivers – its features would not make it the safest place to land on the Red Planet.

The pit is well over 45 kilometers wide, but the smallest rock, the smallest hill or dune and even the walls of the pit can carry the entire fortitude mission to its doom. To avoid this, engineers NASA A unique navigation system is developed. It is based on a vision system – LVS for Lander vision system – whose job will be to take pictures of the pit in real time. Called technology Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) will then be responsible for comparing these images to pre-recorded maps of the landing zone Itinerant And avoid bad encounters.

NASA Rover Mars 2020 Landing with Relative Terrain Navigation. © NASA

NASA engineers say the system is capable of determining the position of a rover coming to the ground with an accuracy of 60 meters or less. What to put them in faith. They also estimate that the probability of success is 99%.

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Comprehensive testing to ensure mission success

And this confidence, they owe it to the battery of tests conducted on Earth, before sending the rover to Mars. First in the laboratory. “This is where we can test all the variables: vacuum, The vibration, Temperature, etc. We then model various scenarios to ensure that the system will behave as expected regardless of the conditions: a sunny day, a black day, a wind day, and so on. “Explains, Swati Mohan, Manager of Navigation Systems, A. Press release Jet propulsion laboratory From nasa.

There have also been field trials of LVS, on which side Plaintiff of death (California). Estimate, first, the position Helicopter In flight. To gain some experience of the system. Then, flight tests, under almost real conditions. The LVS was then connected to a vertical take-off and landing system that performs the same function as the lander. It is sufficient to demonstrate the ability to validate the algorithm and adapt its trajectory according to the constraints on the ground. Which includes during a large landing Speed As would be the case for persistence on Mars.

There is always some surprise for us in life.

Still, well-prepared it may be, NASA engineers believe that perseverance is the landing red Planet, This Thursday, February 18, 2021, promises to be dangerous. “There are always some surprises for us in life. We will be there to ensure that everything goes according to plan. But we won’t consider the game until the rover sends us the message, “I’m landed and on steady ground.” “, Swati Mohan.

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