Perseverance Party! A Brief History of Rovers on Mars
As we wait on the edge of our seats for Perseverance to reach Mars and start a new chapter of exploration there, we thought it would be fun to remember some of the other rovers who have opened our eyes to the red planet. (*note that we are only showing the rovers here- there have been and still are other fantastic landers on Mars!)
Image of Sojourner courtesy of NASA
The first to successfully land and begin moving around the surface of Mars was Sojourner- for four months in 1997, the Pathfinder lander’s six-wheeled sidekick explored the area around the landing site and proved that low-cost missions to the Martian surface were doable.
Self-portrait of Spirit courtesy of NASA
One of two Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) launched in 2003, Spirit spent almost 11 1/2 years exploring locations that may have once been hospitable to life on Mars.
Image of Opportunity investigating Martian rocks courtesy of NASA
Opportunity, the other MER, clocked an amazing 14+ years on the surface, helping us better understand Martian geology.
Image of Curiosity courtesy of NASA
Since it landed in the Gale Crater on August 6, 2012, Curiosity has been steadily taking us from one discovery to another- its mission is to determine if Mars ever had the right conditions to support life.
What’s in store for Perseverance?
Headed for Jezero Crater and the most challenging landing site yet, Perseverance will work to better understand Mars’ geology and look for signs of ancient life. Bringing special cameras and spectrometers to collect data on minerals and organic compounds, Perseverance will help us map out more of the planet’s surface materials. Other pieces of equipment will monitor the Martian atmosphere and subsurface, and Perseverance will also try to produce oxygen from carbon dioxide which would assist in future human missions to Mars.
