1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff. 2 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:12,799 Speaker 1: Lauren Bogelbaum here. On July, an Atlas rocket lifted off 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: from Florida's Cape Canaveral, carrying the Mars mission and its 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: Perseverance rover on an approximately five month journey to the 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: Red Planet. After the rover lands and the Jezero Crater 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: on February one, the robotic vehicle will roam the crater, 7 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,480 Speaker 1: extracting chalk sized pieces of Martian rock that eventually could 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: reveal whether life once existed on the Solar System's fourth 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: planet from the Sun. Perseverance weighs two thousand, two hundred 10 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: and sixty pounds that's one thousand and twenty five kilos 11 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: and measures about ten ft or three meters long, and 12 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: it's the latest in a succession of Mars rovers that 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: has included Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. Since Curiosity arrived on 14 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: the Martian surface in August, it's traveled over fourteen miles 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: almost twenty three kilometers, and in twenty nineteen found evidence 16 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: of an ancient oasis on the seemingly arid planets Gale Crater. 17 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: NASA plans for Perseverance to operate for at least one 18 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: Martian year that's six eighty seven Earth days, and cover 19 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: a distance of between three and twelve miles or five 20 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: and twenty kilometers Perseverance's most attention getting scientific goal is 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: to search for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars, 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: but as two NASA scientists explain, the mission is much 23 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: more complex. We spoke via email jointly with Michael Mayer, 24 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program, and Mitch Schultz, 25 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: a Mars Program scientist. They said, the most significant aspect 26 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: of this mission is that the mission represents the evolution 27 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: of studying Mars, follow the water, understand a bit ability, 28 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: and now search for the signs of ancient life. However, 29 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: we don't know what we will find until we get there, 30 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: and that will be the most significant Among the mission 31 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: goals are to understand the geologic environment of the landing 32 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: site and search for biosignatures, and the rover is ably 33 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: equipped to either find or at least identify the most 34 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: promising samples that might have preserved biosignatures, and the extremely 35 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: promising part cash them to be brought back to Earth 36 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: to be examined by the best instruments in the world. 37 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: NASA had to complete preparations for the launch in the 38 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: middle of the COVID nineteen pandemic. The situation required the 39 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: project team to limit the number of personnel working together 40 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: at any one time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, 41 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 1: and workers had to practice social distancing, wear protective equipment, 42 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: and use hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies. But on 43 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: these science end, NASA workers were more concerned about maintaining 44 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: the cleanliness of the planetary Probe sampling and cashing system, 45 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: which will handle Martian soil and rock samples. Mayor and 46 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: Shoot explain the contamination control levels are unprecedented for any 47 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: spacecraft and unachievable in most laboratories on Earth. To build 48 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,399 Speaker 1: a sampling system to such ultra clean standards and keep 49 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: the system clean has been a real achievement. Of course, 50 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: the proof of the pudding will be when the samples 51 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: are returned to Earth. Technically, the Rover is the most 52 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: complex spacecraft sent to Mars, and designing and building the 53 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: sample caching system was a substantial challenge. The only challenge 54 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,399 Speaker 1: posed by the pandemic has been keeping the team assembling 55 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: the spacecraft and launch vehicles safe, which has been successful. 56 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: Jesero Crater was chosen as a landing site because it's 57 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: an area that researchers believe is likely to harbor evidence 58 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: of ancient microscopic organisms. Mayor and Schultz wrote, our orbital 59 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: studies show that Jesero Crater was an ancient crater lake 60 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: with a recognizable delta deposit, indicative of water flowing into 61 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: a standing body of water. Life as we know it 62 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: requires a liquid water environment to exist. In addition, a 63 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: critical aspect is that the same site shows a high 64 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: die versity of environments, a great place to sample multiple 65 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: rock types that can tell us about the climate and 66 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: geological history of the crater and the planet on Earth. 67 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: Delta is one type of deposit you would expect to 68 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: have signs of life preserved. Furthermore, there are other tantalizing 69 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 1: mineral deposits, like the purported lake shore has carbonate rocks, 70 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,559 Speaker 1: also a good place to have preserved evidence of life 71 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: if there was any. Well perseverances instruments will gather some 72 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: data about the area from which these Martian soil and 73 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: rock samples are gathered. The samples themselves eventually will be 74 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,840 Speaker 1: retrieved by a future mission and transported back to Earth 75 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: for more extensive analysis. The two NASA scientists explained that 76 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: while the retrieval details are still being worked out quote, 77 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: the general plan is that in NASA and the European 78 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: Space Agency will launch two missions. One a lander that 79 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: will carry a fetch rover to get the samples and 80 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: a rocket for lifting the samples off the red planet. 81 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 1: The other mission will be an bitter for capturing the 82 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: sample container launched from the surface of Mars and then 83 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: bringing the contained samples to Earth. Of course, we will 84 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: know a fair amount about the samples and the area 85 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: of Jesero Crater from which they come because of the 86 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: science instruments on board the rover, Perseverance is well equipped 87 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: to explore the region to understand the present and ancient environment. 88 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: The details of each side explored and specifically each rock 89 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: are regular from which the sample will have been collected. 90 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: We're likely to see some spectacular pictures of the Martian 91 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: surface too, since the rover is equipped with more and 92 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: better cameras twenty three and all than any previous Mars mission, 93 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: and the Perseverance mission will provide an opportunity for the 94 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: first test of the Ingenuity robotic helicopter, which could be 95 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: an important part of future planetary exploration. The scientists said 96 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: the helicopter is a technology demonstration, and as such, the 97 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: flights are designed to test its capabilities. The potential of 98 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: Ingenuity to contribute to the science of the mission is there, 99 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: but will be incidental to the data being collected for 100 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: assessing the helicopter's performance. Today's episode was written by Patrick J. 101 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: Keiger and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this 102 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: and lots of other persevering topics, visit how stuff works 103 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. For 104 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: more podcasts to my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 105 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.