That magical place in Jezero Crater, where NASA’s Perseverance rover made its historic landing last month, was named “Octavia E. Butler Landing” in honor of the late SF author.
“I can’t think of any better person to mark this historic landing site than Octavia E. Butler, who not only grew up with JPL [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory] in Pasadena, but he also inspired millions with his visions of a science-based future, “said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science. NASA rElea.
Indeed, NASA got along well with this, because Butler is a worthy choice for such a prestigious honor.
Butler, who died in 2006 at the age of 58, was the first African-American woman to win Hugo and Nebula Awards and the first SF writer to be honored with a MacArthur Scholarship. The acclaimed author is known for works such as Genogenesis trilogy and Parable and Modeller series, in which he criticized the hierarchical and prejudicial tendencies of humanity, especially those based on race, sex and class.
“Butler’s protagonists embody determination and inventiveness, making it a perfect fit for the Perseverance rover mission and its challenge challenge,” Kathryn Stack Morgan, an assistant scientist for the Perseverance Project, said in a NASA press release. . “Butler has inspired and influenced the planetary science community and many beyond, including those usually underrepresented in STEM fields.”
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Perseverance Rover – now officially at Octavia E. Butler Landing inside Jezero Crater –successfully conducted his first test drive an March 4.
During the 33 minute period, excurZionNASA’s Mars 2020 mission made the rover move 4 meters ahead, turn 150 degrees to the left while in position, and then make a 2.5-meter reservation in a new parking lot Martian. In total, Percy covered 6.5 meters – a small step for a rover, but a huge leap for the home team.
Percy’s six-wheel drive “responded superbly,” and the team is “confident” that the drive system is “good to go,” said Anais Zarifian, the mobility test engineer for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover at JPL. Eventually, the rover will travel closer distances 650 feet (200 meters) as part of the mission’s scientific activity.
Tthe rover software was recently updated, and various instruments were implemented, including a pair of wind sensors and ground penetration radar. The car has a length of 7 feet (2-meter) the robotic arm was also put into action, as the team flexed all five joints during one Two-hour test. this was important, because the arm will eventually allow close observations of geological features and drilling of samples.
Looking to the future, the rover will continue longer tests, and its many tools will continue to be tested and calibrated. As part of this commissioning phase, NASA will implement Helicopter of ingenuity, which is currently attached to the belly of the rover. The team will soon select an aerodrome from which to fly air vehicle, in what is ready to be a historic test.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed in Jezero Crater on February 18th. A main objective of the two-year mission is to search for this crater – a former lake and delta – signs of previous life.