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Perseverance Rover Navigates Ancient River to Reach Bright Angel
Since January, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring the south side of Neretva Vallis, a possible fossil of a river that once flowed into the rover’s landing site in Jezero Crater. The rover’s operators recently spotted its next destination, Bright Angel, named for the light-toned outcrops that could be ancient rocks exposed by the former river.
However, Perseverance’s journey hit a snag when it encountered a field of unexpected boulders. After days of slow progress, the decision was made to redirect the rover through a dune field and the river channel. This adjustment proved successful, as Perseverance finally arrived at Bright Angel’s landing site.
Evan Graser, an engineer involved in planning Perseverance’s route, explained, “We had been monitoring the river channel to the north, looking for a section with small dunes spaced far apart for the rover to pass through. When we identified a suitable path, we directed Perseverance towards it.”
Perseverance relies on AutoNav, an autonomous navigation system that allows the rover to steer itself. Unlike previous Mars rovers that required constant guidance from Earth, Perseverance can follow a general route while AutoNav handles the details. Initially, AutoNav managed to navigate around the boulders, but their size eventually posed a challenge.
Just north of Perseverance’s route, a field of Martian dunes separated the rover from the river channel. Crossing the dunes was risky due to the potential for sand traps, but the rover successfully navigated through the relatively small and dispersed dunes.
Now within the river channel, Perseverance can travel around 200 meters (650 feet) per Martian day. This new path not only expedited the rover’s progress but also led to valuable scientific discoveries. In the channel, Perseverance encountered Mount Washburn, a rocky hill offering unique geological insights.
During its exploration, Perseverance identified a peculiar rock that scientists believe could be linked to a subsurface magma pool. After reaching a cliff near the channel’s northern edge, the rover turned west towards Bright Angel. Four Martian days later, Perseverance arrived at the site and began analyzing the rocks. The question now arises: should the rover collect a rock sample here?
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