{"id":12744,"date":"2020-01-02T18:23:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T10:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-next-mars-rover-will-soon-ship-to-cape-canaveral-launch-site\/"},"modified":"2020-01-02T18:23:18","modified_gmt":"2020-01-02T10:23:18","slug":"nasas-next-mars-rover-will-soon-ship-to-cape-canaveral-launch-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-next-mars-rover-will-soon-ship-to-cape-canaveral-launch-site\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s next Mars rover will soon ship to Cape Canaveral launch site"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mars 2020 rover inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility high bay Dec. 27 at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Credit: Alex Polimeni \/ Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fresh off its first terrestrial test drive, NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 rover was displayed to media last week at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California before it\u2019s packed up and flown across the country to Cape Canaveral in February to begin final launch preparations for liftoff in July.<\/p>\n

The six-wheeled robot is similar in appearance to NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover, which has explored Mars since August 2012, but the Mars 2020 rover carries an upgraded suite of scientific instruments, plus mechanisms to collect, seal and store samples of powder drilled and cored from Martian rocks.<\/p>\n

The rock specimens will be picked up by a future robotic mission to return the samples to Earth for detailed analysis. Scientists hope to find evidence of ancient life.<\/p>\n

The Mars 2020 rover also carries a miniature flying helicopter drone, which will deploy after landing to become the first aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of another planet. It also features aluminum wheels with thicker skin and modified treads to avoid damage observed on Curiosity\u2019s wheels on Mars.<\/p>\n

\u201cMars 2020, in the grand scheme of things, is looking for signs of ancient life,\u201d said Zach Ousnamer, a mechanical engineer on the Mars 2020 assembly, test and launch team. \u201cWe\u2019re going to land in Jezero Crater, which is an ancient river delta. Here on Earth, we know those are hot spots for life, so we\u2019re going to go to one on Mars in hopes of finding (life) there.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASA invited reporters and photographers to see the Mars 2020 rover Dec. 27 inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Members of the media, clad in clean room \u201cbunny suit\u201d attire, were able to photograph the rover, the Mars 2020 descent stage, and the cruise stage, or the spacecraft that will ferry the rover from Earth to Mars.<\/p>\n

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The Mars 2020 rover at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Credit: Alex Polimeni \/ Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mars 2020 rover is about the size of a small car, measuring around 10 feet (3 meters) long, 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide and 7 feet (2.2 meters) tall, according to NASA. Those dimensions closely match the size of the Curiosity rover.<\/p>\n

But the Mars 2020 rover is slightly heavier than Curiosity. NASA\u2019s next rover has a fully-loaded weight of 2,260 pounds (1,025 kilograms), or about 278 pounds (126 kilograms) more than Curiosity.<\/p>\n

Engineers at JPL completed assembly of the Mars 2020 rover a few months ago, then put the craft through a series of tests to ensure it is ready for the trip to the Red Planet. The test team checked out the separation system that will release the rover from its sky crane descent stage \u2014 a rocket pack that will lower the rover on a bridle to the Martian surface \u2014 then placed the rover in a thermal vacuum chamber to expose it to the cold, low-pressure conditions it will encounter after landing on Mars.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 17, the rover performed its first test drive inside its assembly building at JPL.<\/p>\n

\u201cMars 2020 has earned its driver\u2019s license,\u201d said Rich Rieber, the lead mobility systems engineer for Mars 2020, in a statement. \u201cThe test unambiguously proved that the rover can operate under its own weight and demonstrated many of the autonomous-navigation functions for the first time. This is a major milestone for Mars 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n