NASA’s Perseverance rover has set a new record for the longest distance traveled by a vehicle on another planet. It reached 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers) on Mars, breaking the record held by Opportunity for years.
The six-wheeled rover crossed the milestone on October 11, 2,006. Mars day of his mission. It beat Opportunity’s 28.06-mile (45.16-kilometer) record, covering the distance in about five and a half years, while Opportunity took nearly 15 years.
Much of Perseverance’s progress is due to its AutoNav autonomous navigation system, which allows the rover to detect obstacles and plan routes as it moves. According to NASA, the system controlled more than 90% of its total route, compared to about 5% for Opportunity’s early autonomous navigation system.
Perseverance can travel up to 412 meters in a single Martian day. Its navigation software processes about 600,000 measurement points every time it looks at the terrain, compared to just 20 for Sojourner, NASA’s first Mars rover.
Autonomous driving expands exploration
AutoNav uses onboard cameras to capture images of the surrounding terrain, creates a three-dimensional map of potential hazards, and chooses a safe route between waypoints chosen by engineers on Earth.
The system allows Perseverance to make driving decisions without having to wait for detailed instructions from mission managers. NASA describes the process as “thinking as you go.”
The record-breaking journey covered 299.6 feet (91.31 meters), taking the rover past Opportunity’s previous mark.
“The original mission required no more than 12.4 miles of travel. We are well beyond that limit, and with all mobility systems fully operational and having achieved favorable results in long-term ground testing, we expect Perseverance to continue to improve on this record for many years to come,” said Steven Lee, project manager for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NASA recently approved Perseverance’s first mission extension, which began in October and will continue exploring the rim of Jezero Crater until around the end of 2028.
The rover is currently traveling through an area called Lac de Charmes toward Idubi, where scientists hope to find evidence of ancient hydrothermal systems.
In these systems, heated water interacts with surrounding rocks and could provide clues to environments that may once have supported microbial life.
Guided tour of ancient rocks
Perseverance collected 29 rock and soil samples while exploring Jezero Crater, including its former lake bed, ancient river delta and crater rim.
Some rocks in the region are around 4 billion years old. NASA says the site could preserve geological evidence that has been largely lost on Earth due to erosion and plate tectonics.
Previously, the rover identified a potential biosignature in a rock called Cheyava Falls. This finding remains a possible indication of life in ancient times and is not proof that life existed on Mars.
Perseverance has also surpassed the distances traveled by the Soviet Union’s Apollo 17 and Lunokhod 2 lunar rover.
NASA’s previous Mars rovers set successive milestones. Sojourner traveled about 330 feet (100 meters), Spirit traveled 4.8 miles (7.7 kilometers), and Curiosity traveled more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers).
After Lac de Charmes, Perseverance is expected to continue south toward Rainbow Falls, a 100-meter-wide block of ancient crust exposed by the impact that formed Jezero Crater
NASA is also improving the rover’s navigation software to reduce unnecessary steering and help it determine its position while driving using orbital maps.
The agency hopes future improvements will allow the rovers to operate longer each day, expanding the amount of Martian terrain they can examine.
