Now you have heard that on top of sending back the first footage of the first rover landing on Mars and the first original audio recording from another planet, Perseverance also smuggled a hidden message in its parachute pattern. Okay, it turns out that only “Easter Eggs” persevered on the Red Planet.
The rover is carrying a lot of valuable cargo – from sophisticated science equipment the first microphone on Mars to the first helicopter in search of modern life not to mention cleverness – but it also has a number of “hidden gems” board. From a deadly memory back to the meteorite of Mars, the first dinosaur (sorted) on Mars, and a worry-induced “family portrait”, the range of symbols, mottos and rovers has turned from practical to sporty.
See the ones we know about here. However, as lead engineer on inhabited entrances, descents and landings, Allen Chen pointed to The Verge: “People can’t resist their work with a little personal touch. But most of it will never be known – even by me.” This aluminum commemorative plaque carries the symbol of Asclepius’s rod – the ancient Greek symbol of healing and medicine – to commemorate the impact of the virus that the mission could accomplish, and “pay tribute to the perseverance of healthcare workers around the world.” Challenges due to the COVID-19 epidemic the team inaugurated that they might miss their launch window, but thanks to NASA’s professionalism and adopted safety warnings, perseverance launched in July 2020. Nevertheless, the Blade Rover added to commemorate the hard work of medical professionals worldwide.
Perseverance sent NASA a fifth rover to Mars and it could be, NASA’s language though, “the largest, heaviest, cleanest and most sophisticated six-wheeled robotic geologist ever traveled into space” without it the success of its ancestors would not have been there. From left to right you will see: Creator, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance and Curiosity. Serving as the “eye” of perseverance, its Mastcams can take color images, videos and 3D stereo images and take a powerful zoom. The decorated pictures and colors look great but they also serve an interesting purpose. Scientists use color and grayscale sachets on calibration targets – which are twice as large as the sun – to fine-tune and color-correct camera settings. The images around the target represent the world’s earliest life forms, including cyanobacteria, ferns and a dinosaur, as well as a male and female equivalent of a gold record on Pioneer blades and Voyager.
Around the outer edge of the target is the inscription: “Are we alone? We are here to look for signs of life, and to collect samples of Mars to study on Earth. For those who follow, we wish a safe journey and joy of discovery.” It surrounded by various languages, “Message of Discovery of Victory”.
