'Here in Death Valley, we have a unique ability to help understand other worlds.'
With its rugged terrain and unique landscapes, Death Valley often acts as Mars for NASA scientists testing space-bound equipment.Spectacular craters, a giant valley and dunes illuminated with red and pink hues pepper the landscape. Extreme weather brings icy cold and dangerously hot temperatures. This foreign world is no place for humans., one of the hottest and driest places in North America.
Researchers tested key aspects of the Mars rovers' navigation systems in Death Valley. Here, NASA’s Perseverance rover lands on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.NASA’s work in Death Valley dates back to the 1970s and the groundbreaking Viking Project, the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars."Some of the first pictures that the world ever saw of Mars came from [Viking]," Allen Chen of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory told SFGATE in a phone interview.
Chen led the Mars landings of both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers and has been part of several visits to Death Valley throughout his 20-year tenure with NASA. "It’s a rite of passage for people who work on Mars to find your way out to Death Valley for some reason," he explained."Whether it’s scientists who work on rocks or whether it’s more on the engineering side or if you’re someone like me who worries about landing things, once you get past those phases, it’s about getting out there and doing hardcore testing to prove to yourself that it will actually work when you land on Mars.
Work it did. Both rovers have been roaming the Martian surface since their landings, beaming back incredible images as they carry out their missions.The national park that’s been used for scenes in"Star Wars" and"The Twilight Zone" is a"living laboratory" of sorts because of its strange and dynamic features, according to Death Valley National Park ranger Matthew Lamar.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gorgeous auroral glow surprises astrophotographer in California's Death ValleyTereza is a London-based science and technology journalist, aspiring fiction writer and amateur gymnast. Originally from Prague, the Czech Republic, she spent the first seven years of her career working as a reporter, script-writer and presenter for various TV programmes of the Czech Public Service Television. She later took a career break to pursue further education and added a Master's in Science from the International Space University, France, to her Bachelor's in Journalism and Master's in Cultural Anthropology from Prague's Charles University. She worked as a reporter at the Engineering and Technology magazine, freelanced for a range of publications including Live Science, Space.com, Professional Engineering, Via Satellite and Space News and served as a maternity cover science editor at the European Space Agency.
Read more »
Man with gunshot wounds found inside crashed car in West Valley CityAn investigation is underway after a man was found in a crashed car with multiple gunshot wounds in West Valley City. The man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. macfox13 is at the scene this morning.
Read more »
Peoria's year of adversity turns into 4A basketball championship in win over Deer ValleyPeoria coach Patrick Battillo lost his mom, his dad nearly died in a car accident, and his best player was out for part of the season with an injury.
Read more »
Future Democratic hopeful Ro Khanna takes on the America’s Heartland from Silicon ValleyThe average voter in Ohio might have no idea who he is — he’s working on that — but Khanna’s angling to be the Democratic Party’s forward-facing industrialist, revitalizing manufacturing across for…
Read more »
Thousands gather at LA cathedral for San Gabriel Valley Bishop David O’Connell’s funeralThe slain bishop’s 11 a.m. funeral at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was expected to draw upwards of 5,000. By 10 a.m., the pews were packed.
Read more »