Tag: Mars Rover replica

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Sample Handling System of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Sample Containers 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, which are introduced in more detail in [Witness Tubes of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover].

There are a total of 43 sample tubes on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and 5 of them will be used as witness tubes so eventually, there will be 38 sample tubes with actual samples inside. These tubes will collect, seal and store samples of Martian rock cores, and regolith (broken rocks and dust). Each Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s tube will contain a sample that is carefully and scientifically selected under different and diverse environmental conditions so that it can represent as much geologic diversity as possible of the Martian field site for future analysis. For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, we will perfectly replicate the appearance and the number of the sample tubes.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample tubes are made of titanium. There are different coatings on the outer and internal surfaces of the sample tubes. Most of the outer coating is alumina and appears in the color white, but the top and bottom outer surfaces and the internal surface have a coating of nitrided, which appears in gold color. The purpose of the coating is for thermal control. Each of the tubes has a length of 142mm, or 5.59 inches without the seal, which will add 2mm, or 0.08 inches to the sample tube. The sample tube has a diameter of 23 mm or 0.9 inches. As for the sample tubes for our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, we might only use one material, but we will paint the same color as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample tubes.

In order to maintain the cleanness of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s sample tubes, a fluid mechanical particle barrier glove is designed and attached to each of them. About this fluid mechanical particle barrier glove, we will replicate the appearance structure for our Mars Rover Replica but it won’t actually have the function to maintain the cleanness of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Replica’s sample tubes

After a sample is cashed and studied and carefully sealed, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s sample tubes will be left on the Martian surface – a surface that is well-identified for the future sample return mission. If the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s samples are returned to Earth successfully one day, scientists can learn a great deal from them.

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Science Instrument of Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

MOXIE of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Part 1

Mars’ atmosphere has around 96% carbon dioxide and there is only 0.13% oxygen. Therefore, it is not suitable for humans to breathe. To find out if it is possible for human exploration on Mars, one of the most important things is to figure out how to make oxygen, not only for humans to breathe but also for helping with burning rocket fuel. The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE (short for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) is the instrument that will make oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere. It is like an artificial plant, breathing in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen (also some byproducts such as carbon monoxide).

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE instrument is located on the inside of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s right front belly. It has a mass of 17.1 kg, but due to different gravitational forces between Earth and Mars, MOXIE weighs 37.7 lbs on Earth but 14.14 lbs on Mars. The Perseverance Mars Rover’s MOXIE is expected to operate its first mission within 30 sols after it lands on Mars and passes all the health checkups.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE is inside of the rover’s body, and you cannot see it from the outside, so our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica might not replicate it, or we will replicate it after all the other components are completed. If we do replicate the PMars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE instrument, our Mars Rover replica‘s MOXIE will not actually make oxygen, but the appearance structure will be replicated.

Interestingly, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE has 2 microphones so we can hear it making oxygen on Earth. The reason for the microphones is because MOXIE runs by a motor. By listening to the motor running, engineers will know MOXIE is working. Even though our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica might not replicate the MOXIE instrument, we may add a speaker inside of the Mars Rover Replica‘s body and make the motor running sound effects to simulate the MOXIE’s working sound.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE instrument only has a size of a car battery but once it is operating. If we replicate it on our Perseverance Mars Rover replica, it will be half the size of the real Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE. When operating, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s MOXIE will use up to around 30% of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s power, and the heat generated will be so hot that the scientists had to insulate it. Otherwise, the instrument on board or even the whole of Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will get damaged. However, how hot it will get or how much voltage will be used are still to be found out during real operations on Mars.

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

PIXL of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Part 1

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s PIXL is short for the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry, and it is located on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s turret at the end of its robotic arm.

There are 3 main components of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s PIXL: the sensor assembly, the body unit electronics (BUE), and the PXL calibration target. [PIXL of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Part 2] will go into details about them. The 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica we are building will also replicate the appearance structure of these three components.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s PIXL is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. It will shoot a 120 µm diameter X-ray beam to the targeted site and induce X-ray fluorescence on the rock surface. Then PIXL will measure the target surface’s chemical structure at a sub-millimeter level to analyze the detailed composition of the rock, and this can be done in just 10 seconds. The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s PIXL exams the rock and soil autonomously without having to check with Earth each time it runs a scan, so it can record a hyperspectral map of thousands of measured points within hours. The elements that the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s PIXL can detect are Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Ga, Ge, As, Zr, Rb, Sr, Y, and Zr. With this information, scientists will be able to search for evidence or signs of ancient Martian microbial life. The PIXL instrument for our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will not actually have these functions, but we will proportionally replicate it on our Mars Rover Replica‘s motorized robotic arm.

PIXL is put on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for 3 reasons. The first is to analyze the past chemical composition of the Martian terrain, if the planet was habitable, and if the rocks have the potential to store signs of life. The second reason is to find if there was ever life and if there is any potential for other types of lives. The third reason is to determine what samples are worth collecting and potentially returning to Earth.

There are small motors on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover‘s PIXL, which makes it like a 6-legged robot. With many degrees of freedom, the X-ray beam can move very easily just like a human hand controls a laser pointer. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will perfectly replicate the robotic legs so they will move like and provide the same mobility to the PIXL on our Mars Rover replica just like the real one on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover News

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s Ingenuity Helicopter Prepares for Test Flight

Since the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover landed on Mars, the Ingenuity Helicopter has been preparing for flying. On March 21st, 2021, after dropping the debris shield, which covered and protected Ingenuity all the way till landing, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter is ready to take its first test drive.

Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will also have the debris shield and users can remove it remotely. The appearance structure of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s debris shield will perfectly replate the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s debris shield and have the same appearance structure.

The Martian air density is only 1% of Earth’s, and the gravity is about 30% of Earth’s. Moreover, during the night, the temperature can go extremely low. With limited sun, or solar power, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter has to keep warming up itself to ensure the structure and all the electrical components won’t be frozen. Therefore, keeping Ingenuity sufficiently charged and warm alone is not an easy task, letting it fly is even more difficult. This is also the reason that this time, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter does not have an actual goal or any science instruments, because its only mission is to be able to fly.

For our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica and the Ingenuity replica, because they will be on Earth, we don’t need to worry about keeping them warm, but we might need to worry about getting a ventilation system for when warm weathers come.

It will take about 6 sols (or more if needed) for the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Ingenuity Helicopter to deploy. Because the Ingenuity was initially attached at the bottom of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and placed upside down, it needs to be slowly rotated to the vertical position, which will take around 3 sol, if not more. Eventually, Ingenuity’s 4 legs should be standing steadily on the floor, the 6 batteries should be sufficiently charged and the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover should be about 5 meters (16 feet away) so that Ingenuity can get enough solar power. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica and the Ingenuity replica won’t use solar power, and they will be using rechargeable batteries or an external power supply.

During the test flight, Ingenuity will need to run its rotors at 2,537 RPM, fly up for 3 seconds to a height of 3 meters, and stay in the air for 30 seconds. After Ingenuity lands, videos of how it performs will be sent back to Earth so that the team will know if everything is working normally. Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s Ingenuity will also be able to fly, but how much height it can climb is still to be determined. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

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1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary

Designing the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica’s Wheels

The wheels of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover are made of special aluminum. There are cleats on the outer surface to add traction. This is actually the first challenge during our building journey of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica.

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The rendered screenshot of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica wheel design

The special aluminum NASA used to build the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s wheels is obviously very tough so as to bear at least 1/6 weight of the real Perseverance Mars Rover of which the total weight is 2,260lb or 1,025kg. When the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover driving over the uneven Martian terrain, each wheel may have to bear up to 1/5 weight or even more of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. But the real challenge comes from the cleats. The cleats of the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica’s wheels are only around 2mm thick. Unless we could find a kind of really awesome aluminum, the 1:3 cleats will easily break on terrains with sharp rocks due to that the burden of a single wheel will all come to the contact point between the cleat and the rock.

The endurance of the wheels of Perseverance Rover’s predecessor – Curiosity Rover is actually good but while driving over sharp, pointy rocks they did break. Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s wheels are redesigned to be more robust – narrower than Curiosity’s, but bigger in diameter, 20.7 inches (52.6 centimeters) versus 20 inches (50.8 centimeters) and made of thicker aluminum, have twice as many treads and are gently curved instead of chevron-patterned. But still, they will damage if the terrain harshness is beyond their design standard.

When we choose the material for the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica’s wheels, our goal is to build them to withstand pressure from almost all kinds of terrains. The reason is quite simple – people would love to enjoy the excitement of manipulating the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica on terrains similar to Mars but they also would love to see all parts intact after each and every ‘mission’. Dust is OK but damages are definitely a heartbreaker.

In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, we decided to use steel to build the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica’s wheels. The building cost of each 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica’s wheel is around 1,000 USD. Six wheels are almost 6,000 USD. The cost is high but they don’t break. They are heavy than aluminum but the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica doesn’t go on the rocket.

A close-up image showing the broken position on Curiosity rover’s left-middle wheel. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Perseverance Mars Rover Replica wheels design buymarsrovers.com 2
Displacement analysis of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica’s wheel
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Displacement analysis of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica’s wheel
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1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary

Why 1:3? – Choosing the Size Ratio of the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica

When we first had the idea to build the Perseverance Mars Rover replica, we set the goal as making the Perseverance Mars Rover replica ultra-realistic – looks the same and moves the same as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover but with no science instruments.

We had some arguments about the size ratio at the beginning. 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 seemed to be the three natural candidates.

1:1 Perseverance Mars Rover replica was eliminated first because it is too heavy and too expensive.  The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is 1,025 kg or 2,260 lb. The 1:1 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will not as heavy as the real one but should be around 600 kg or 1,322 lb. The most tricky part is the spokes. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s spokes are made of titanium, however, it will be way too expensive for us to build the 36 spokes that way. If we use other materials, the building cost is still too high. Moreover, the heavyweight is a big challenge for all the connection structures which requires material and processing and assembly techniques up to a certain high level which is not proper for our first Perseverance Mars Rover replica project.

Unless we spent tons of effort doing simulations and tests in the physical world so as to be 100% sure that it is feasible for all the critical structures to bear the weight of the 1:1 Perseverance Mars Rover replica, any further effort in designing and building the 1:1 replica might be a waste of time. After all, we are not as rich as NASA. We cannot endure waste and risk more than we can afford at this stage.

Then the competition was between 1:2 and 1:3. We hesitated between these two options because each has its advantages and disadvantages and the scores were close. Technically speaking, the difficulties of building Perseverance Mars Rover replicas of these two ratio sizes were very close although the 1:2 did prevail a little bit on most aspects. However, since the 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover replica is approximately 2.4 times larger than the 1:3, the cost of everything is at least doubled or even more.

On the other hand, the main challenge of the 1:3 comes from its relatively small size against its motorized parts, especially the iconic long arm that carries multiple sensors and cameras and the heavy drill set. Although it is not our goal to build any functional science instruments on our Perseverance Mars Rover replica, we do set the goal to build all the visible parts move the same way as those components of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover do. That’s saying that since the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover can drill on Mars, our Perseverance Mars Rover replica should have the ability to drill on Earth, or at least drill like real.

There is a possibility that the weight of the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica’s arm was too heavy to be motorized without compromising the joint shapes simply because the arm joints need larger motors to lift the weight but its internal space won’t allow them to accommodate motors of such sizes. Of course, we did estimations and simulations about the torques required and the torques could be provided by the motors of suitable sizes. It turns out that the required and the provided are close. Therefore, we need the exact weight of the component which highly depends on the exact structure design. therefore, the only way to make sure we can make the 1:3 arm for the Perseverance Mars Rover replica was to complete the exact design if not build it physically. But we believe there is a good chance for the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica to achieve the pre-set goal.

Therefore, we decided to choose the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica as a start. It is the cheapest among the three candidates, and it is very likely to hit the goal.

Well, cheap is relative. Even the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica should cost us at least 200,000 USD before we can complete the first prototype. The 1:2 replica is around 300,000 USD while the 1:1 is around 500,000 USD.

>> Related Information

The original dimensions of the body box of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover are as follows.

  • Length 10 feet (3 meters)
  • Width 9 feet (2.7 meters)
  • Height 7 feet (2.2 meters)

Therefore, the dimensions of the body box of the 1:3 Perseverance Mars Rover replica are as follows.

  • Length 3 feet 4 inches (1 meter)
  • Width 3 feet (0.9 meters)
  • Height 2 feet 4 inches (0.73 meters)
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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover News

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s Sounds of the Wheels

On March 7, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover drove for 90 feet (27.3 meters). The EDL microphone recorded the sounds of the driving for a whole 16 minutes and the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover sent it back to Earth. Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will also have the EDL microphone and it will be a real microphone so that the user can record sound. The Mars Rover Replica’s EDL microphone will have the same appearance strcuture of the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s EDL microphone.

Unlike a normal vehicle, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover does not have inflatable tires. Instead, the tires are metal, alluminum alloy. Most of us probably wouldn’t know what it is like to be in a vehicle that has metal wheels. The metal rolling against the ground, dust and rocks will generate annoying noise, and the ride will be much bumppier. As expected, you can hear from the video the metal clanking sound, wheel scratching sound, and the motor sound. It is not a pleasant sound but it is exciting to hear just because it is from the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover on Mars. Our Peseverance Mars Rover Replica perfectly replicates the appearance structure of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s wheels, steering motors and driving motors. So users can expect to hear the same sound as he or she controls the rover to drive with the remote. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

This audio was recorded by the EDL microphone, which was not expected to surrive the landing but it did. Therefore, it was a surprise we receive the audio of the driving from it. However, since the EDL microphone was off the shell and was not designed to do scientific analysis, when the team hears unusual noise, it presents some difficulty to figure what that anomoly is. Some guess it is electromagnetic interference.

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover News

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s First Test Drive

On the 4th of March, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover performed its first test drive for around 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) and everything turned out to be operational perfectly.

Since the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s landing on Mars, the system has been running tests for every component to check if everything survived the bumpy landing to make the mission can go on as planned. This short test showed that the mobility of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover was as good as new. Lasted for 33 minute-long, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s 6.5-meter long drive was not a straight line. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover firstly drove forward for 4 meters (13 feet) and checked that the 6 driving motors, among other import parts and operational perfectly. Then the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover turned 150° to the left and drove backward for another 2.5 meters (8 feet) – the steering motors and other relevant parts were checked out.
With our 1:2 Peseverance Mars Rover Replica, you can remotely control it to move. The Rover Replica’s wheels will have the same suspension system theory and use the same types and same numbers of gear motors. The Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will be a perfect replica of the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.

During the testing process, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s NavCams and HazCams to take photos, and these photos were sent back to Earth. That is how scientists knew everything was alright. The cameras on the Perseverance Mars Rover Replica will also be able to film the driving process as the user is controlling it. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover News

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover’s Laser Sound from SuperCam

Other than the two acoustic recordings of Mars wind, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover also sent back audio of the SuperCam’s laser shots during an operation when the SuperCam is firing at rocks on March 2nd, 2021, or the 12th sol. The SuperCam is located on the top of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s mast. With our 1:2 Peseverance Mars Rover Replica, you can also remotely control the SuperCam and fire its laser light at whatever targets the user wants.

You can hear from the audio there are 29 laser impacts, but actually, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s SuperCam fired 30 shots. If you listen very carefully, the loudness of every impact is different, and it is from the difference of the intensity of the impacts, scientists can learn valuable information from it.

Although our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica’s SuperCam replica does not actually fire laser shots at the target, nor can it cause any damage, the appearance structure of the Mars Rover Replica’s SuperCam replica will be the same as the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. Since now, thanks to the precious audio from the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, we can make the same sound effects so the user can simulate the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s operation just like it’s real. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].

This audio was taken when the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s SuperCam is 10 feet (3.1 meters) from the target. With proper software and tools, also with the scientists’ skills and experiences, we can learn the physical structure of the rocks and then learn of information such as how the rock was formed and if there ever were organics inside.

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Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover News

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Sends Panorama of Landing Site

A zoomable panorama of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s landing site was released on the 24th of February, 2021. This panorama is stitched with 142 photos which were taken on the 21st of February, or Sol 3, by the MastCam-Z located on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s Mast. The lower part of the panorama is the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s top deck, the MMRTG, and the robotic arm. The middle part of the panorama shows the Jezero Crater’s land, edge, and cliff. The upper part of the panorama shows the sky of Mars and what is said to be an ancient river by scientists.

Our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s MastCam-Z replica will also be able to take photos and you can see the photos instantly from a mini-screen.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s MastCam-Z is consists of two identical cameras that are 9.5 inches or 24.1 cm apart from each other on the mast’s eye level. They can take photos from afar and still show details very small. This way, the MMars 2020 Perseverance Rover doesn’t need to waste unnecessary power to approach a certain site but still is able to let the scientists see photos and decide if the sites are worthy to be studied.

Our Perseverance Mars Rover Replica‘s MastCam-Z replica will not have functions like the real Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s MastCam-Z, but the appearance structure will be the same. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].