Perseverance Rover Documents a 200-Foot-Wide Martian Dust Devil

The Perseverance rover from NASA has recorded a dust devil traversing Mars from east to west at a speed of approximately 12 mph (19 kph). The event took place at a site known as “Thorofare Ridge” within Jezero Crater on August 30. Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The six-wheeled scientific vehicle detected the whirlwind during its atmospheric study of the Jezero Crater.

On the 899th Martian day, or sol, of its mission, NASA’s Perseverance rover captured the lower segment of a dust devil as it moved along the western boundary of Mars’ Jezero Crater. The visual footage was accelerated 20-fold and consists of 21 images, each captured at four-second intervals by one of the rover’s Navigation Cameras (Navcams).

Although less intense and generally smaller in scale compared to Earth’s tornadoes, Martian dust devils serve as one of the means for the displacement and reallocation of dust across the planet. Researchers analyze them to enhance their comprehension of Mars’ atmosphere and to refine weather models.

Data retrieved from the footage enabled mission scientists to ascertain that this specific dust devil was situated approximately 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away at a location colloquially termed “Thorofare Ridge.” It was moving from east to west at a speed of around 12 mph (19 kph). The dust devil’s width was calculated to be approximately 200 feet (about 60 meters). Although the camera frame only displayed the lower 387 feet (around 118 meters) of the twister, scientists were also able to make an estimation of its complete height.

Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and a participant in the Perseverance science team, stated, “The shadow cast by the dust devil provides a useful gauge for determining its height. Assuming it is a vertical column, the shadow suggests a height of approximately 1.2 miles (about 2 kilometers).”

Dust devils are not exclusive to Mars; they also occur on Earth. They form due to the interaction of rising warm air cells with descending columns of cooler air. Martian variants can be substantially larger than their Earth counterparts. While most prevalent during the Martian northern hemisphere’s spring and summer—where Perseverance is currently situated—scientists cannot forecast their precise timing or location. Hence, both Perseverance and its sibling rover, Curiosity, continually scan in all directions for such phenomena, capturing imagery in monochrome to minimize data transmission to Earth.

Additional Information on the Mission

One of the principal goals of the Perseverance mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the quest for indicators of ancient microbial existence. The rover is tasked with examining the planet’s geological and climatic history, laying the groundwork for future human expeditions to Mars, and pioneering the collection and storage of Martian rocks and regolith (fragmented rocks and dust).

In future collaborations with the European Space Agency (ESA), spacecraft will be dispatched to Mars to retrieve these sealed samples for comprehensive analysis back on Earth.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance expedition is an integral component of NASA’s broader Moon to Mars exploration strategy, which also encompasses the Artemis missions targeting lunar exploration as a preparatory step for human missions to Mars.

The administration and execution of the Perseverance rover’s activities are overseen by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a subsidiary of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, acting on behalf of NASA.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Perseverance rover Mars dust devil

More about Perseverance rover Mars dust devil

• NASA’s Perseverance Rover Mission Overview
• Jezero Crater: The Landing Site of Perseverance
• Mars Dust Devil Observations
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Planetary Science Institute: Mark Lemmon
• European Space Agency: Mars Exploration
• NASA’s Moon to Mars Exploration Approach
• Astrobiology at NASA
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)