Maple Heights native plays role in successful Mars Perseverance Rover mission
Carl Sandifer, a Maple Heights native, helped design the Radioisotope Power System that can run the Mars rover for up to 14 years. Author: Brandon Simmons Updated: 7:12 PM EST February 18, 2021
MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio Once again, the incredible team of engineers and support staff at NASA were able to pull off what was once an impossible feat – landing a rover on Mars. It’s a daunting mission that requires several years of preparation and a 7-month long trip to the red planet to see if all the work pays off.
On Thursday, the success rate for landing on Mars got a little bit better. In part, you can thank a Maple Heights native helped make this mission and others a success.
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The Perseverance rover gets lowered down to the Martian surface, seen in one of the first high-resolution images sent back to Earth. Image credit: NASA
Update: (Friday, February 19, 2021 at 2:46 PM): Since first publishing this article, NASA has shared new, high-resolution images of the Perseverance rover, including one taken from its âjetpackâ that lowered the rover down to the Martian surface.
On July 30, 2020, NASA launched its Mars Perseverance Rover on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Yesterday, February 18, 2021, Perseverance landed successfully on the red planet.
Map showing Perseverance s landing site at the Jezero Crater on Mars. Image credit: NASA