The two NavCams on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s mast capture the entire process of landing and this video has been sent back to Earth. For our 1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica, there will also be two NacCam replicas, and not only will the appearance structure be the same, but we also are planning on making the cameras real.
In the video, at first, the parachute deploys and inflates, in order to slow down the descending speed to make sure a safe landing. Then you will see the heat shield gets separated from the bottom of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. Since the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is decelerating due to the parachute, the heat shield flies much fast and hits the Martian land first. As the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover descents, the Lander Vision System is processing images and data rapidly to narrow down the area where the rover should land. Next, the back shell is also detached from the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – this is not showing from the footage but confirmed in another way. After the landing location is decided and the sky crane maneuver is conducted, you can see from the video, which is taking by the camera at the bottom of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, that red dust and rocks get blown away by the engine. Finally, when the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover touches down, you can see the descent stage is severed and flies away, leaving the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover safely parking on the Martian land.
Other than this complete and real footage of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s landing, there is also an audio recording after the rover landed, which is the sound of Mars. This is the first time a Mars Rover ever brought a microphone on Mars and survived the EDL process. Apparently, the audio is dominated by the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s motors (noise), but after filtering out the noise, you can hear the Martian wind. It is great we can hear the sound of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – unlike cars on Earth, Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover operates with electricity, therefore does not have a sound of a diesel engine. We will also replicate the sound of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. If the motors of the Mars Rover Replica cannot make the same sound as the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover‘s motors, we will make the same sound effects for the Mars Rover Replica so they will sound the same. If you are interested in our Mars Rover Replica, please check [1:2 Perseverance Mars Rover Replica Design and Building Diary].