NASA Perseverance Rover Experiences Dust Devils On Mars; New Insights Into Martian Weather

NASA's Mars mission is a very ambitious one, and several projects are already working toward making it a success. This includes the Mars Perseverance rover, which has been collecting rock samples since its landing in 2021. However, there seems to be harsh weather called dust devils, which has opened new doors in its observation.

NASA Perseverance Rover Studying Martian Dust Devils

The Martian environment is considered to be among the harshest. It's been over 200 days since the Perseverance rover landed on Mars and is currently impacted by harsh weather. This includes dust devils, which are massive whirlwinds in the Jezero crater, which was the rover's landing site.

The Mars Perseverance rover has been studying these massive dust devils, which has provided insight to scientists now. The observation was published in the Science Advances journal, documenting the 216 days of the rover and its discoveries. NASA states the discovery has helped gain a better understanding of the dust processor on Mars, and might even help in predicting them.

The NASA Perseverance rover is equipped with many sensors and equipment for its project. One such sensor is the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer or MEDA. The wind and light sensors on MEDA can detect whirlwinds around the Perseverance rover.

NASA Perseverance Rover For Understanding Mars

The report also stated that the Perseverance rover has faced at least four whirlwinds on the planet. Some of the dust clouds formed by these gusts of winds were as large as 4 square kilometers, which further gives scientists a chance to learn more about these unique phenomena.

"Every time we land in a new place on Mars, it's an opportunity to better understand the planet's weather. We had a regional dust storm right on top of us in January, but we're still in the middle of the dust season, so we're very likely to see more dust storms," the lead author of the study, Claire Newman, told NASA.

The primary goals of the NASA Perseverance rover are to collect rock samples, analyze the terrain, and also find evidence of the former microbial life on the Red Planet. The harsh weather on the planet makes it quite impossible for humans to explore the planet without deeper data.