Tag: Mars Perseverance rover

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions Science Instrument of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

MEDA of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 2

Radiation and Dust sensors

The radiation and dust sensor assembly for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s MEDA is located on the top deck. Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of the radiation and dust sensor assembly but they won’t be actual sensors.  This Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s MEDA’s radiation and dust sensor assembly consists of photodetectors and a charge-coupled device, and the purpose is to study the characteristics of the Martian dust, such as its shape, size, or opacity. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA inherited a lot of features from previous space missions.

For example, from the Curiosity Rover mission, the rover environmental monitoring station (REMS) is applied on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. It is a set of sensors that are designed to work and collect information on a low atmosphere, which includes air and ground temperature sensors, wind sensors, humidity and pressure sensors, and a photometer.

From the Mars MetNet Lander Mission, the solar irradiance sensor (MetSIS) is inherited. Mars is a cold planet compared to our Earth. Moreover, the entry, descent, and landing process for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover are extremely bumpy. Both harsh conditions could potentially affect the sensors. Therefore, this sensor is specially designed so that it can endure the landing impact and also operate normally at low temperatures. It consists of 32 detecting elements in 11 spectral bands. The sample rate and channels to be sample can both be manually and autonomously configured.

From the ExoMars 2016 Lander mission, DREAMS, which is short for Dust characterization, Risk assessment, and Environment Analyzer on the Martian Surface is inherited to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s version of DREAMS has 7 detectors. These detectors are arranged so that a 360 ° azimuth is possible.

From the Mars Exploration Rover Misson and Mars Science Laboratory mission. the HazCams is applied to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and now is renamed as SkyCam on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structures of the REMS, MetSIS, DREAMS, and the HazCam, though they won’t have the functions as the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA’s radiation and dust sensors are the first set of sensors that are specially for studying the sun brightness and dust conditions. This will help scientists model the atmospheric conditions of Mars and prepare for human exploration in the future.

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Structure Components Functions Science Instrument of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

MEDA of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 1

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA is short for the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer. You may think of it as a weather station, which essentially is a set of sensors for measuring and collecting mainly the following information:

  1. wind speed
  2.  wind direction
  3. temperature
  4. pressure
  5. humidity
  6. amount of dust particles
  7. size of dust particles
  8. radiation

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA has several components and they are located in multiple locations on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover:

  1. on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s mast’s neck
  2. on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s top deck
  3.  on the front left and right sides of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s body
  4.  on the interior of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s body

Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the MEDA instrument’s appearance structure but there will not be any actual sensors and it is not a real weather station. 

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA’s sensors are air temperature sensors, radiation, and dust sensor, relative humidity sensor, thermal infrared sensor, wind sensors, and instrument control unit sensors. With these sensors, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA will be able to work as a weather station, not only to study the atmospheric condiction of Mars but also to predict Mars’s future weather. This has great meaning because one day, there is a chance humans will set foot on Mars, and they will need to know daily weather reports just like we do on Earth.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA has a mass of 5.5kg or 12 lbs. and the maximum power it will consume is 17W which depends on the scale of the measurements. Our Mars Rover Replica‘s MEDA will be half the size as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MEDA, but the weight is not half the weight. We aim to find materials that are strong but lightweight for that. 

If you are interested in our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, you can check out [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

 

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Adaptive Caching Assembly of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 3

Theoretically, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample caching process for a rock or a regolith can be described as follows.

First of all, Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will do an initial assessment on the sampling site by the science instruments on the rover. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s MastCam-Z will spot a potential sampling site and identify a rock for later investigation.

Secondly, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s SuperCam will exam the rock more carefully in greater detail. After SuperCam confirms that this site or this rock is worthy of caching, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will move closer to the site. Then the abrading bit on the corer of the turret assembly will perform an initial abrasion so that PIXL and SHERLOC can do a close proximity analysis before the rock is decided to be a good potential caching target.

With our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, the users can control the rover to perform the same action as the above two steps. Although it won’t be the real scientific inspection, the movement will be the same.

Although the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s PIXL and SHERLOC instruments have different functions and look for different features, in this step, they both work as the final step and a double-check for if the location is a valuable target for sample caching.

Next, the sample caching process will start. Below are the basic steps:

  1. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample handling arm in the adaptive caching assembly will get an empty sample tube from the sample tube assembly. The sample tube is then transferred to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s bit carousel’s interior door and inserted into a drill bit. The bit with the sample tube inside will then be transferred to the outer door, waiting for the turret’s corer to take it. Our Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the sample handling arm and it will be able to perform the same action as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample handling arm.
  2. After the turret’s corer picks up the drill bit, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s robotic arm will start the drilling process and collect a rock core or regolith. Then the robotic arm will bring the filled sample tube back to the bit carousel, and the sample is transferred to the lower door, waiting for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample handling arm to move it back to the adaptive caching assembly.
  3. Different from when the sample tube is moved out of the sample tube assembly, this time, the sample tube with the rock or regolith sample will be moved to the volume assessment station, the vision assessment station, the seal dispenser, and the sealing station respectively before it is brought back to the sample tube assembly for storage.

For our Mars Rover Replica, although you will see how the turret and the tools on it interact with the bit carousel, you might not see the interactions between the tubes and the stations because it will be done inside of the rover’s body. But we will still try our best to replicate the stations and the ability to move for our Mars Rover Replica just like the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s actions. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, you can check out [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

Ideally, these tubes will be dropped to a pre-decided location for the future retrieving mission and returning to Earth.

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Adaptive Caching Assembly of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 2

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s stations are all made from titanium because the physical characteristics of the titanium can reduce the errors due to the temperature changes on Mars from affecting the operations during the sample caching process. The titanium caching component mounting deck is the interface between all the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s stations to the rover. For the adaptive caching assembly’s station of our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica, the materials are still to be determined for the stations because the stations won’t have the actual functions, but we will try our best to also use titanium.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly was designed to fit inside of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s body before launching on Mars, but after it lands, the belly pan directly below the adaptive caching assembly is dropped from the rover’s body, because the sample handling arm in the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly will need to extend around 200mm, or 7.87 inches below the rover’s bottom pan during the sample handling process. Besides that, the rover’s system will do a scan to make sure the sample handling arm will not be obstructed during the operation. For our Mars Rover Replica, the belly pan can also be dropped, but it can be put back as well. The dropping mechanism will be the same as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s belly pan’s dropping mechanism.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s bit carousel is located on the caching component mounting deck, and a part of it extends through both the top deck on the front and front panel to allow sample tubes and drill bits to exchange easily. Our Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s bit carousel.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly interacts with the turret assembly, such as drill bit exchange, through the docking assembly, which located on the front of the bit carousel. There are a rotational bearing mechanism and a return spring mechanism to make sure the docking assembly will return to its original position and re-center after the turret undocks to prepare for the later operations. For our Mars Rover Replica, users can simulate a full interaction between our Mars Rover Replica‘s adaptive caching assembly and turret with the remote control.

Inside of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s bit carousel, there are 9 drill bits: 6 coring bits, 1 regolith bit, and 2 abrading bits, which are securely locked onto the bit holder. They not only need to survive the drop when the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover touches down on Mars but also they need to not break when the rover is driving on the bumpy Martian road. Besides these, the bit carousel will need to cooperate perfectly with the corer when each time a sample tube is inserted into the drill. If misaligned, it could be disastrous for the assembly. For our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, it is not recommended to drop it like the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is dropped on Mars, but our Mars Rover Replica can take a certain amount of impact.

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1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary

Building and Testing the Wheel Skeleton of the Mars Perseverance Rover Replica

We have completed the machining of the wheel spokes of the 1:2 Mars Perseverance Rover replica. All the parts are assembled. It is really exciting to hold the assembled wheel skeleton in my hands and feel its weight. Although the structure successfully passed the computer simulations, we still anticipated seeing its bearing ability in the physical world.

We designed a special tool to test the entire wheel of the 1:2 Mars Perseverance Rover replica, including the steering motor structure, the ‘C’ shape connection structure, the wheel hub, and the spokes. In this stage, we only completed the wheel skeleton which is composed of the wheel hub, and the spokes so we cannot take advantage of that special tool to do the test. However, we did find a very primitive but effective way to test the strength of the wheel skeleton of the Perseverance Mars rover replica.

We were worrying whether this skeleton structure can bear the weight of the entire Perseverance Mars rover replica so it’s really nice to see the structure is STRONG. LOL.

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Adaptive Caching Assembly of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 1

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly is one of the three main components of the sample caching system. The other two main components are the robotic arm and the turret assembly, which are introduced in more detail in [Robotic Arm the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover] and [Turret of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover].

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly is located inside of the rover and on the front of the body. There are mainly 6 sub-assemblies of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly: the sample tube storage assembly, the sample handling arm, the dispenser, volume, tube assembly, the vision station, the sealing station, and the bit carousel. For our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica, we will replicate the part on the front of the body, and we will try our best to perfectly replicate the part that is inside of the rover’s body.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s sample tube storage assembly is for storing both empty sample tubes and filled sample tubes. Although they are placed together, there are sheaths to protect them from contaminating each other. There are a total of 39 sample tubes in the sample tube storage assembly.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s sample handling arm is for transferring the sample tubes to different stations in the adaptive caching assembly or for moving the sample tubes to the bit carousel so that the sample tubes are inserted into the drill bits for sample caching purposes.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s dispenser, volume, tube assembly is to calculate the number of samples collected and to reduce possible contamination. There are 3 sample tubes in the dispenser, volume, tube assembly. There are 7 seal dispensers, and each seal dispenser has 7 seals, so there are 49 seals in total, 7 of which are spares.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s vision station not only takes photos of the sample cached but also performs a second-time calculation for the amount of each sample collected.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s sealing station is to seal a sample permanently by triggering seals in the sample tubes.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly’s bit carousel is to keep all the drill bits and helps to insert a sample tube into a drill bit for sample caching.

For our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica, we will try our best to perfectly replicate these 6 sub-assemblies. Although they will not have the same functions as the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s adaptive caching assembly, they will be fully motorized and you can simulate the sample handling movement with the remote control.

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Science Instrument of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

MOXIE of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – part 3

The Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE runs the oxygen-making experiments autonomously and there are two challenges it is facing.

The first challenge is from the harsh Martian environment. The temperature can fluctuate for over 65 Celsius or 150 Fahrenheit during day and night, and it is yet to find out how the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE will react to this abrupt temperature change. Moreover, in every Winter, around 30% of the Martian atmosphere vanishes and the temperature is so low that carbon dioxide solidifies and drops to the Martian surface. Ideally, the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE should be able to operate at all times without stopping since it is designed to produce oxygen for human survival. Therefore, the record for how the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE will respond to Mars’ harsh environmental condition will be extremely valuable data for MOXIE’s developers and researchers, so that the future MOXIE can be designed to work smoothly no matter the environmental changes. The Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE is planned to run 10 times totally during the mission under as many different conditions as possible. Our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica may or may not replicate the MOXIE instrument. If we do replicate it, it will not be able to make oxygen, and will not produce that much heat. But we may design it so that it will make the motor running sound effects.

If you are interested in our 1:2 Mars Rover Replic, you may check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

The second challenge the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE instrument faces is the byproduct generated. Theoretically, the carbon dioxide will be split into oxygen and carbon monoxide. However, scientists are still researching how to properly run the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE instrument. If operating it too gently, the carbon dioxide will just go through the instrument and not produce enough oxygen so the oxygen conversion rate will be very low. But if operating it too heavily, not only will you get carbon monoxide, but also there will be some single carbon atoms. For now, the unwanted solid carbon is cleaned manually to avoid it from blocking the normal operation.

In the future, if humans can set foot on Mars, a much larger version of the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE will need to make around 30,000 kg, or 66,000 lbs of oxygen to support a trip home from Mars to Earth. If the Perseverance Mars Rover‘s MOXIE is successful, this means it will save 4 to 5 trips from Earth to Mars for transferring that much liquid oxygen.

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Witness Tubes of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

There are two types of sample tubes on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. The first type is the sample containers (or the sample tubes), and the second type is the witness tubes. Our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the structure appearance of the sample tubes.

There are a total of 42 sample tubes that the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover carries, and 4 of them are dedicated as witness tubes. For each Mars Rover Replica, there will be 42 sample tubes that come with it but if the customers want more as replacements, that is alright as well.  Unlike the sample tubes, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s witness tubes do not collect actual rock or soil samples, but they go through the same collecting process as the sample tubes. The purpose is to preserve the drilling condition, or the contamination knowledge, for when the samples are being drilled and filled into the sample tubes so that when the samples are analyzed in the future on Earth, scientists will know how earthly factors or even contamination from the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover itself affect the condition of the samples. The witness tubes of the 1:2 Mars Rover Replica are perfect replicas of the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s witness tubes in terms of the structure appearance including the colors, but the material might be slightly different.

Inside of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s bit carousel, there is also a witness tube assembly, which is especially for collecting the contamination knowledge for the bit carousel’s condition, so that in the future, when the witness tubes are returned to Earth, scientists will know the working environment the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s bit carousel is exposed to. For our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica, the bit carouse and the witness tube assembly might be the last structure to replicate because they are mostly inside of the rover’s body and very sophisticated.

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Robotic Arm the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm is located on the front of the rover’s chassis. It has a length of 7 feet or 2.1 meters, which is the same length as its predecessor, the Curiosity rover.  Our 1:2 Mars Rover Replica‘s robotic arm has a length of 3.5 feet or 1.05 meters. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm wields a rotating 45kg (or 99 lbs) turret assembly, which is 15kg (or 34 lbs) heavier than the Curiosity rover’s turret assembly because it carries bigger science instruments and a bigger corer for drilling compared to the Curiosity rover. The weight of our Mars Rover Replica‘s robotic arm will not be that heavy, because the instruments on it will only be decorations (but ultra-realistic decorations), and the material we use will be lightweight.

The purpose of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm is to help with exploring the Martian surface and collecting valuable Martian samples. It mimics the human arm – it has joints at its “shoulder”, “elbow” and “wrist” for maximum degrees of freedom. Our Mars Rover Replica‘s robotic arm will also have as many degrees of freedom as the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm. If the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is a human scientist, then the robotic arm is his human arm. At the end of the robotic arm, there is a turret assembly or a hand, and on the hand, there are the science instruments (SHERLOC, WASTON, PIXL), the gDRT, the Corer, and the ground contact sensor which are for Martian rock and soil sample caching. The gDRT and the ground contact sensor are introduced in [Turret of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Mars Rover].

There are some small motors or rotary actuators on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm, and with these actuators, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm has 5 degrees of freedom or 5 flexible joints: the shoulder azimuth joint, the shoulder elevation joint, the elbow joint, the wrist joint and the turret joint. Our Mars Rover Replica‘s robotic arm will also have these motors – not the same type or the same size, but the function of the motors is the same –  so that the Mars Rover Replica‘s robotic arm is also 5 degree of freedom. The flexibility of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm allows it to rotate the turret accurately to a location of interest so that the corer can start its initial abrading operation for the later sampling process, or for the science instruments analyzing process.

After the science team on Earth decides which rocks or regolith to sample, Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will give the robotic arm the “go” for sample caching. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s robotic arm will rotate the corer to an angle that is best for the drill bit to operate. Depending on the condition of the drilling site, the drill will choose the rotary mode or the percussive mode for the sample caching. After the sample rocks or regolith are collected, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s robotic arm will transfer the sample tubes to the bit carousel for the later processes. Although the Mars Rover Replica‘s robotic arm doesn’t have the function like the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, users can control the Mars Rover Replica to drive and mimic the movement of the robotic arm.

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Turret of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret is located at the end of the 2.1-meter-long, 5-degree-freedom robotic arm. It carries the science instruments SHERLOC, WASTON, and PIXL to help with the sample handling process. Besides the three instruments, there are also the gDRT(Gaseous Dust Removal Tool) and the Corer. The Corer is positioned in the middle of the instruments. SHERLOC and WASTON are by one side of the Corer, while gDRT and PIXL are on the opposite side of the Corer. Collectively, they form the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret assembly. Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the structure appearance of the Turret including the SHERLOC, WASTON, and PIXL instruments, the gDRT, and the Corer. 

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s SHERLOC, WATSON, and PIXL instruments are introduced in more detail in [PIXL of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Part 1], [PIXL of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Part 2], [SHERLOC of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover], and [WATSON of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover]. With these scientific instruments the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret carries, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is able to analyze the minerals and chemicals to study whether or not there was life or if it will be possible for humans to live on Mars by carefully and scientifically selecting the most valuable rock and soil samples to collect. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s PIXL and the tools on it won’t have the functions as the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, but the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s PIXL replica will stimulate the movement when operating.  

After the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s robotic arm accurately transports the turret assembly to the location of interest, depending on what this specific mission’s purpose is, the corer will get one of the bits and will do an initial abrading operation. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret then will rotate and find a position for gDRT to remove dust from the surface to prevent contamination preparing for the sample caching process. The gDRT is a sophisticated tool that consists of the following 7 components:

1. A supply tank with 159g of gaseous Nitrogen

2. A gas tank, or plenum tank which fills gas before every operation

3. Two supplementary supply valves for transferring gas from the supply tank to the plenum tank

4. A valve that releases the plenum tank’s gas

5. A nozzle that will blow the gas to the target surface

6. A valve that acts as the supply tank’s switch for releasing and loading gas before launch

7. A pressure transducer for the pressure reading

In the end, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret will rotate to positions to allow SHERLOC, WASTON, and PIXL to work.

Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of the gDRT down to very fine details, but it will not have the dust-removing function or the many components. 

Other than the mentioned tools, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret assembly carries a sensor, the Ground Contact Sensor. The Ground Contact Sensor’s job is to prevent the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s turret from accidentally touching the ground by giving the robotic arm signals to stop if the turret gets too close to the ground. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the appearance structure of Ground Contact Sensor but it will not actually be a sensor.