spent much of 2021 capturing incredible photos of Mars, and with the year nearly over, the organization's now looking back at some of Perseverance's best work. Throughout the years, humans have sent numerous robots to Mars in hopes of learning more about the Red Planet. There's been the Curiosity rover, Ingenuity helicopter, InSight probe, and numerous others. Astronomers are determined to uncover all the secrets Mars has to offer, and until we can actually send humans there, we rely on advanced robots to carry out this research.
One such robot that made quite a splash in 2021 is Perseverance. Since landing on Mars this February, Perseverance has been quite the busy rover. It's explored the Martian surface with its autopilot system, collected rock samples, and captured thousands of photos of its journies. Of all the rovers NASA's sent to Mars, Perseverance has been the most effective in offering a front-row seat to everything it sees.
Over the course of ten months, Perseverance has ed over 181,000 images. Ever since it started taking these pictures, people have been able to vote on their favorite ones. Whichever photo has the most 'likes' after a given week is selected as Perseveracen's Image of the Week. Looking to highlight the best of the best, the Perseverance Twitter just ed a short video highlighting its most popular/liked photos of the year. Along with the minute-long video (available below), NASA also shared a gallery to all past Images of the Week — allowing folks to really study Perseverance's photography work.
Looking Back At Perseverance's Biggest Moments In 2021
Looking back at Perseverance's most popular photos, there are a lot that stand out. The Week 36 image is a personal favorite. It shows a lone rock in the middle of a Mars dune, and upon closer inspection, that rock has an uncanny resemblance to a frog here on Earth. Week 40 is a great one, too. This photo showcases a vast Martian landscape with all of the key elements. It highlights the planet's sandy surface, various rocks of all different sizes, large dunes, and the famous yellow sky.
Along with stunning photos, Perseverance also crossed a few big milestones in 2021. In early July, NASA engaged the rover's self-driving system for the first time so it could explore Mars without human input. Perseverance also collected its first rock sample in September and has since gone on to collect numerous other ones. Perseverance will hold onto these samples for a while longer, but in the not-too-distant future, NASA plans to collect and return them to Earth for further examination.
While 2021 might be nearing its end, the same isn't true for Perseverance. 2022 will bring more of the same — including more Mars rock samples and more jaw-dropping photos. Whatever Perseverance finds in the new year, it's sure to be a journey worth following.
Source: NASA