The Perseverance Rover of NASA recently surprised spectacular images with several “dust devils”-mini-wind and dust-which were drowned along the edge of the Jezero crater.
Among the spectacular scenes, one was truly remarkable: a larger “swallowing” a smaller one, an extremely rare phenomenon by the Rover’s rooms, write NASA representatives.
The images were captured by a Navigation camera on board Perseverance, about a kilometer away from the phenomenon. The larger wind had an estimated diameter at 65 meters, while the little one measured about 5 meters. In the background, you can see two other “dust devils” further, in a truly fascinating scene, transmits.
According to researcher Mark Lemmon, from the Space Science Institute in Colorado, these convective winds “can be quite nasty. They walk on the Martian surface, gathering dust on their way and reducing visibility. When the two meet, either cancel each other, or the biggest,
What are the “dust devils”
They are formed when the air from the surface of the planet is heated by the soil, climbs through the colder and denser layers, and begins to rotate. When the warm air trains the surrounding air and catches dust, a visible wind is formed – the “Dust Devil”.
Katie Stack Morgan, the main researcher of the Perseverance mission, explains the importance of these phenomena: “These whispers offer indications about the atmospheric conditions – the direction and speed of the wind – and contribute to about half the dust in the Martian atmosphere.”
Perseverance and the history of martian whirlwinds
Since its landing in 2021, Perseverance has documented numerous such phenomena, including a spectacular episode on September 27, 2021, when an “army” has crossed the surface of the Jezero crater, and the Rover microphone registered the sound of such a whirlwind on Mars.
The first to observe these “devils” were NASA Viking satellites in the 1970s. Later, the Pathfinder mission was surprised from the ground, and Rovere as a spirit, Opportunity and Curiity contributed to strengthening the understanding of these phenomena.
Surprising such an event is a combination of routine and luck. Researchers cannot accurately predict when a “devil of dust” appears, but frequently monitors the martian sky in all directions. The data gathered helps regulate observation programs according to the day of the day and the predominant directions.
“If you are merciful to the little swallowed wind, find out that even the big one had a better fate, finding the most likely end a few minutes later, and this is because such phenomena last only 10 minutes on Mars,” added Lemmon.
Perseverance mission: Beyond whirlwinds
The mission of the Perseverance Rover has as its main purpose the study of astrobiology, including the collection of soil and rock samples that could contain traces of ancient microbial life. These samples are to be returned to the ground in the future, through a program coordinated by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Perseverance is part of the Mars 2020 program and on the NASA initiative “from Moon to Mars”, which includes Artemis missions, meant to open the way for the human exploration of the Red Planet.
