NASA’s Perseverance Rover Works to Stabilize Dust Cover on Science Instrument’s Camera
NASA’s Perseverance rover has encountered a minor setback in its mission on Mars. Engineers are currently working to stabilize a dust cover on one of the science instrument’s cameras. The rover’s Mastcam-Z camera system captured images of Perseverance using its robotic arm around a rocky outcrop called “Skinner Ridge” in June and July 2022. However, data and imagery indicate that one of the covers designed to prevent dust from accumulating on the optics of the SHERLOC instrument remains partially open, interfering with science data collection operations.
SHERLOC, short for Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals, is mounted on the end of Perseverance’s robotic arm. It utilizes cameras, a spectrometer, and a laser to search for organic compounds and minerals that may indicate past microbial life in watery environments. Unfortunately, with the cover partially open, the instrument cannot use its laser on rock targets or collect spectroscopy data. However, it can still acquire imaging microscopy using WATSON, a color camera on SHERLOC that operates through a different aperture.
NASA’s engineering team has been investigating the root cause of the cover issue and exploring possible solutions since January 6. Recently, the cover partially opened, allowing the team to better understand the behavior of the cover’s motor by sending commands that alter the power being fed to it. The team designed Perseverance’s instrument suite with overlapping capabilities to ensure that the rover can still achieve its science objectives even if a single instrument fails. Alongside SHERLOC, other instruments like PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) and SuperCam also perform spectroscopy.
Perseverance is currently making its way towards an area nicknamed “Beehive Geyser.” On December 12, 2023, the rover marked its 1,000th Martian day, or sol, on the Red Planet, surpassing its initial prime mission by more than 300 sols. Since its landing on February 18, 2021, SHERLOC has provided rich data on 34 rock targets, creating a total of 261 hyperspectral maps.
Perseverance’s mission on Mars focuses on astrobiology and the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover aims to characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of Mars, and collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), subsequent NASA missions plan to retrieve these sealed samples from the Martian surface and bring them back to Earth for further analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission aligns with NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and operates the Perseverance rover.
Perseverance’s temporary setback with the dust cover highlights the challenges of exploring and conducting scientific research on another planet. However, NASA’s dedicated team of engineers and scientists will undoubtedly find a solution to ensure that the rover continues its groundbreaking mission on Mars.