When NASA’s Perseverance rover searches for signs of ancient life on Mars, it uses technology from partner nations across Europe.
The 2,260-pound (1,025-kilogram) rover is equipped with imaging equipment and sensors from France, Italy, Spain, and Norway.
“It’s an exploration mission, with elements contributed by our European partners to seek evidence of the possibility of life beyond our planet and the mysteries of the universe,” President Biden said at the Munich Security Conference on February 19. “That’s what we can do together.”
He mentioned plans for a future joint NASA mission with the European Space Agency to retrieve samples collected by Perseverance and bring them back to Earth.
These technologies will help Perseverance search for signs of life and improve our understanding of Mars:
• The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA), developed at the Astrobiology Center, National Institute of Aerospace Technology in Madrid, will provide daily weather reports that will help prepare for future human exploration of Mars.
• The Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX) uses ground-penetrating radar to study Mars’ geography and search for water and ice more than 30 feet (9 meters) underground. RIMFAX was developed by a team from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.
• The SuperCam will analyze rocks and soil for signs of past life. Researchers from the U.S. and France contributed to the SuperCam, which uses a camera, laser, and other equipment to analyze samples from up to 20 feet (6 meters) away.
• The Laser Retroreflector Array (LaRA) is a palm-sized device with reflectors designed to enable laser tracking of equipment on the planet’s surface and make future landings more precise. Italian scientists developed the array.
After a journey of 300 million miles (483 million kilometers) over seven months to Mars, Perseverance will spend the next Martian year — equivalent to two years on Earth — exploring Mars, aided by equipment from partner nations.
In his remarks, Biden hailed Perseverance’s mission as an example of how much nations can achieve by working together. “We can tackle any challenge that [we face] on Earth,” he said.
Source: share.america.gov, by Leigh Hartman