On Thursday, July 30, the much-awaited launch of the 2020 Mars Rover called 'Perseverance' successfully happened. Before the grand launching, an unexpected problem even happened with the launch or in the NASA facility wherein the launch was controlled. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in California. Here's what happened.
4.5 magnitude Earthquake happens in California
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover vehicle lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2020.
As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) prepares for the grand launch of the Mars rover Perseverance, a sudden 4.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in the city near the launching site.
According to Independent UK, the earthquake originally impacted one mile from San Fernando in California. The launching site was happening in the other direction of Florida.
This means that the earthquake did not affect the launching of Perseverance. However, it's still not coasting clear.
NASA facility gets hit by an earthquake
Though the earthquake did not actually reach Florida, NASA was still careful about the historical event since the facility that will control the launch of the Mars Rover was located, exactly at the center of the earthquake.
The mission's engineer and project manager MiMi Aung observed the said earthquake when reporters asked her about the helicopter set to be released alongside Perseverance.
"By the way, we just had an earthquake in this room", she said.
So far, its a success
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover vehicle takes off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2020
So far, despite the earthquake issue, the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying the Mars rover was able to withstand all issues and smoothly fly in space.
As Tech Times reported, Perseverance will fly on Mars in order to complete the mission of collecting samples from the red planet. These samples will be collected in a chamber inside the machine. Once all set, the samples will be delivered to Earth, in order for scientists to test the materials.
"We're doing transformative science," said Matt Wallace, the deputy project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "For the first time, we're looking for signs of life on another planet. And for the first time, we're going to collect samples that'll be part of, we hope, the first sample return from another planet. And there are a lot of other firsts along the way."
Perseverance will be joined with the 2011 Mars rover called Curiosity on Mars. The Mars rover is set to land on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. Going back, the name 'Perseverance' came up from a NASA naming contest. A seventh-grader was the one that created the name, wherein the agency chose.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Jamie P.
