Getting Closer! NASA's Perseverance Rover Less Than 100 Days From Landing on MarsBy Paul Scott Anderson, on November 18th, 2020
NASA’s latest Mars rover, Perseverance, is now less than 100 days away from its landing in Jezero Crater on Mars (94 days at the time of this writing). The rover is currently just over 177 million miles (285 million kilometers) from its destination, with touchdown scheduled for Feb. 18, 2021
On
December 18, the mission team will perform a trajectory correction maneuver, using the cruise stage’s eight thrusters to refine the spacecraft’s flightpath toward Mars.
The spacecraft itself also remains in good health. The propulsion subsystem of the descent stage, used to help lower the rover onto Mars via the SkyCrane (also used by the Curiosity rover), was checked on November 9 and found to be in good working order. The next day, November 10, the PIXL and SHERLOC instruments were also tested.
Next week, on November 16 , the mission team will begin a five-day simulation of surface operations for the rover. This includes both driving the rover and collecting rock and soil samples. Another similar simulation will be performed later in December.
During such simulation tests, unexpected challenges are deliberately added in by team members who act as “gremlins.” This is to help the mission team prepare for any problems that may occur during landing or surface operations. Landing on Mars is not easy, so all precautions must be taken to hopefully ensure a successful landing. (...)
https://www.americaspace.com/2020/11/18/getting-closer-nasas-perseverance-rover-now-only-100-days-from-landing-on-mars/