In case of problems the other computer brain can be awakened to take over control and continue the mission. The rover has two 'computer brains,' one of which is normally asleep. Perseverance generates constant engineering, housekeeping and analysis telemetry and periodic event reports that are stored for eventual transmission once the flight team requests the information from the rover. Using its 'computer brains' for exchanging information with the teamActivities such as taking pictures, driving, and operating the instruments are performed under commands transmitted in a command sequence to the rover from the flight team back on Earth. It does so by periodically checking temperatures, particularly in the rover body, and adjusting temperature control accordingly and then recording power generation and power storage data throughout the Mars sol (a Martian day) to decide what new activities can be started or completed and then finally scheduling and preparing for communication sessions with Earth or with local Mars orbiters. Monitoring its 'health'Just like the human brain, the rover computers register signs of health, like temperature and power levels, along with other features that keep the rover 'alive.' This main control loop constantly checks systems to ensure that the rover is both able to communicate throughout the surface mission and that it remains thermally stable (not too hot or too cold) at all times. The device is used in rover navigation to support safe traverses and to estimate the degree of tilt the rover is experiencing on the surface of Mars. 'Nerves' for balance and position The Perseverance rover carries an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that provides 3-axis information on its position, which enables the rover to make precise vertical, horizontal, and side-to-side (yaw) movements.

We learned that a long time ago, Mars used to be a warmer and wetter place.Better Memory Than Ever The computer contains special memory to tolerate the extreme radiation environment that exists in space and on the Martian surface. But Sojourner's photos and information told a much different story.

Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechДЇrom far away, Mars looks cold, dry, and rocky. Scientists think that the texture on this rock suggests that it was slowly shaped over time by wind. Its lander also collected information about winds and other weather factors on Mars.ДЄ photograph taken by Sojourner of a Martian rock. The rover used instruments to study what the nearby Martian rocks and dirt were made of.

It sent back more than 550 pictures of the Red Planet. Credit: National Geographic Society, MOLA Science Team, MSS, JPL, NASAДЄs Sojourner drove short distances, it used its camera to take pictures of the Martian landscape. The landing sites of all four Mars rovers on a map of Mars. This means the rover could study lots of different types of rocks without traveling very far.Д®ngineers also liked the area because it seemed like a flat, safe place for Sojourner to land. The rushing water of a flood would have pushed lots of rocks and dirt into one place. Scientists were interested in this area because it looked like the site of an ancient flood. The rover explored an area of Mars near its landing site called Ares Vallis. The Sojourner rover drives around on the Martian surface and rolls one of its wheels up on a rock. After the lander touched down on Mars, a panel opened and Sojourner rolled out to start exploring. The pyramid shape helped ensure the lander and rover could be flipped right-side-up, no matter how they landed. The airbags helped the lander have a safe, bouncy landing. The lander was shaped like a pyramid and was covered in airbags. It traveled within a spacecraft called a lander. Sojourner wasnвЂ™t alone on its journey to Mars.

However, it went on to share lots of important new information with scientists. It was only about the size of a microwave oven. A lot of people have tried to do this for a long time, said Lauer. These kinds of measurements are exceedingly difficult. This robotic explorer, called a rover, was named Sojourner. At its distance (more than 4 billion miles away when these observations were taken), New Horizons experiences an ambient sky 10 times darker than the darkest sky accessible to Hubble. For the first time, they used a small wheeled robot to study the surface of Mars. In 1997, NASA scientists did something pretty amazing.

News rover data taking up lots of space