Washington, D.C.: In the wake of Nasa’s decision to retire the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars after its 72nd flight, another setback has emerged for the Perseverance rover.
Recent data from the Martian surface has revealed that the dust cover on one of the rover’s science instruments, known as Sherloc, is malfunctioning. These covers play a crucial role in preventing dust from accumulating on the optics of the SHERLOC instrument. Nasa has confirmed that the cover remains partially open, disrupting the rover’s scientific data collection operations.
Sherloc, short for Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals, utilizes cameras, a spectrometer, and a laser to search for organic compounds and minerals indicative of past watery environments, potentially hinting at ancient microbial life.
Nasa provided an update stating, “An engineering team has been investigating to determine the root cause and possible solutions. Recently, the cover partially opened. To better understand the behavior of the cover’s motor, the team has been sending commands to the instrument that alter the amount of power being fed to it.”
As the Perseverance rover navigates through the Jazero crater on Mars, its primary mission is to uncover evidence of ancient microbial life in an area believed to have once been a hub of lakes and rivers. The rover’s trajectory includes an exploration of a region dubbed “Beehive Geyser”.
Despite the setback with Sherloc, the rover’s mission remains steadfast. Sherloc is just one component of a comprehensive suite of seven instruments aboard Perseverance, designed to ensure mission success even in the event of individual instrument failures. So far, Sherloc has provided valuable data on 34 rock targets, generating a total of 261 hyperspectral maps.
The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars alongside the Ingenuity helicopter, now operates independently following the helicopter’s unfortunate demise in January. Recent imagery from the Martian surface confirmed that Ingenuity had sustained irreparable damage, losing one of its four blades necessary for flight in the thin Martian atmosphere.
