Seven months after blast-off, NASA's Mars 2020 mission will have to negotiate its shortest and most intense phase on Thursday evening: the "seven minutes of ter
7 minutes of terror : Perseverance rover s nail-biting landing phase
Top Searches 7 minutes of terror : Perseverance rover s nail-biting landing phase
AFP / Feb 18, 2021, 11:20 IST
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Perseverance rover uses its drill to collect a rock sample on Mars in this undated artistic conceptual illustration handout.
WASHINGTON: Seven months after blast-off, Nasa s Mars 2020 mission will have to negotiate its shortest and most intense phase on Thursday: the seven minutes of terror it takes to slam the brakes and land the Perseverance rover on a narrow target on the planet s surface.
Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) begins when the spacecraft carrying Perseverance strikes the Martian atmosphere at nearly 12,500 miles per hour (20,000 kilometers per hour).
12:38 p.m. PST: Cruise Stage Separation
This is the part of the spacecraft that flies Perseverance and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. It will separate from the capsule as the spacecraft begins the final phases of the journey.
NASA/JPL
12:48 p.m. PST: Atmospheric Entry
Traveling at about 12,100 mph, the spacecraft will enter the top layer of Mars’ atmosphere. This is the beginning of the mission s seven minutes of terror.
12:49 p.m. PST: Peak Heating
This is where things really start to heat up. Due to friction from the Martian atmosphere, the shielded bottom of the spacecraft will warm to an astounding 2,370 degrees Fahrenheit.