NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of its 26th collected rock sample, “Silver Mountain,” using its onboard Sample Caching System Camera (CacheCam), located inside the rover underbelly. It looks down into the top of a sample tube to take close-up pictures of the sampled material and the tube as it’s prepared for sealing and storage. This image was acquired on Jan. 28, 2025 — sol 1401, or Martian day 1,401 of the Mars 2020 mission — at the local mean solar time of 18:49:01.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover continues to live up to its name, pushing forward in search of ancient Martian secrets. Following a brief period of system verification and remote testing, our operations team is back at full strength, and Perseverance has been hard at work uncovering new geological insights.
We began our latest campaign at “Mill Brook,” a site surrounded by dusty, fine-grained paver stones. Here, we conducted an abrasion experiment at “Steve’s Trail,” allowing our remote sensing instruments to capture a before-and-after analysis of the rock surface. SuperCam (SCAM) used its LIBS and VISIR systems to investigate “Bad Weather Pond,” while Mastcam-Z (ZCAM) imaged the entire workspace. These observations provide invaluable data on the composition, texture, and potential alteration of these rocks.
After wrapping up at Mill Brook — including a ZCAM multispectral scan of “Berry Hill” — Perseverance took a 140-meter drive (about 459 feet) to “Blue Hill” at “Shallow Bay,” a site of immense scientific interest. The rocks here are rich in low-calcium pyroxene (LCP), making them one of the most intriguing sample targets of the mission so far.
The significance of Blue Hill extends beyond just this one location. The pyroxene-rich nature of the site suggests a potential link to a much larger rock unit visible in orbital HiRISE images. Given that this may be the only exposure of these materials within our planned traverse, our science team prioritized sampling this Noachian-aged outcrop, a rare window into Mars’ deep past.
And now, we are thrilled to announce:
Perseverance has successfully cored and sealed a 2.9-centimeter (1.1-inch) rock sample from Blue Hill, officially named “Silver Mountain.” This marks our first Noachian-aged outcrop sample, an important milestone in our mission to uncover the geological history of Jezero Crater. Since Shallow Bay-Shoal Brook is the only location along our planned route where this regional low-calcium pyroxene unit was identified from orbit, this sample is a one-of-a-kind treasure for future Mars Sample Return analyses.
As we enter the Year of the Snake, it seems fitting that serpentine-bearing rocks have slithered into our focus! While Blue Hill remains a top priority, the tactical team has been highly responsive to the science team’s overwhelming interest in the nearby serpentine-bearing outcrops. These rocks, which may reveal critical clues about past water activity and potential habitability, are now part of our exploration strategy.
Between our Noachian-aged pyroxene sample and the newfound focus on serpentine-bearing rocks, our journey through Jezero Crater has never been more exciting. Each step — each scan, each drive, each core sample — brings us closer to understanding Mars’ complex past.
As Perseverance continues to, well, persevere, and as we embrace the Year of the Snake, we can’t help but marvel at the poetic alignment of science and tradition. Here’s to a year of wisdom, resilience, and groundbreaking discoveries — both on Earth and 225 million kilometers (140 million miles) away!
Stay tuned as we unravel the next chapter in Mars exploration!
Written by Nicolas Randazzo, Postdoctoral Scientist at University of Alberta
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of its workspace, which includes some polygonal fracture features just to the left of the top center of the image, using its Left Navigation Camera on sol 4439, or Martian day 4,439 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, on Jan. 31, 2025, at 05:43:05 UTC.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Earth planning date: Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
Here in Earth’s northern hemisphere, the days are slowly getting longer, bringing with them the promise of an end to winter. While we are anticipating the return of warmer temperatures, just over 100 million kilometers (more than 62 million miles) away, Curiosity is starting to feel the bite of the colder season.
One of the quirks of Mars’ orbital configuration is that aphelion (when Mars is farthest from the Sun) occurs about a month and a half before the southern winter solstice. This means that winters in the southern hemisphere (where Curiosity is located) are both longer and colder than those in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, we need to spend more of our power on keeping the rover warm, limiting the time that can be spent doing science.
Today’s plan was fairly constrained by the available power, so our various instrument and science teams had to carefully coordinate their requests to ensure that we stay within the power limits that have been budgeted out over the next several plans. Our team is never one to back down from a challenge, so this plan squeezes as much science as possible out of every watt-hour of power we were given.
Our drive from Wednesday’s plan completed successfully (quite an accomplishment in the current terrain!). One of our wheels ended up perched a few centimetres up on a rock, so we aren’t able to use APXS or DRT today, but we were still able to unstow the arm to take some MAHLI images.
This plan kicks off with a pair of ChemCam and Mastcam coordinated activities. The first of these two focuses on some interesting polygonal fractures that we ended up parked in front of (see the image above). ChemCam will use its LIBS laser on these fractures before they are imaged by Mastcam. ChemCam will then use its RMI camera to take a mosaic of some features on the crater floor way off in the distance, which Mastcam will also image. Mastcam then goes it alone, with images of “Vivian Creek” (some sedimentary layers in today’s contact science target), “Dawn Mine” (a potential meteorite), and a trough off of the rover’s right side. The Environmental Science (ENV) team will continue their monitoring of the environment with a Mastcam tau to measure dust in the atmosphere as well as Navcam cloud and dust devil movies. After a short nap, the arm is unstopped to take a number of MAHLI images of “Coldwater Canyon,” over a range of distances between 5 and 25 centimeters away (about 2-10 inches).
The second sol of this plan is largely consumed by ENV activities, including another tau and a Navcam line-of-sight observation to monitor dust. A big chunk of this sol’s plan is taken up by ChemCam passive observations (not using the LIBS laser) of the atmosphere. This “passive sky” observation allows us to measure atmospheric aerosol properties and the amount of oxygen and water in the air. Of course, ENV couldn’t have all the fun, so this sol also contains a typical ChemCam LIBS observation of “Big Dalton” with a Mastcam image afterward. After stowing the arm, we will drive off from our current location.
Right before handing off to Monday’s plan, we wrap up with our typical early-morning ENV weekend science time, which includes more tau and line-of-sight dust observations and several Navcam cloud movies. RAD, REMS, and DAN also continue their monitoring of the environment throughout this plan.
Written by Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Sector Combustor Studies (CE-5B-1)
Combustion studies are conducted in this two-test position facility specifically in support of the NOx-reduction research for the High Speed Research program and the Advanced Subsonic Technology program. CE-5B-1 is large enough to test sector arrangements of injector elements to include interactions of the elements and single larger elements. The facility receives filtered combustion air from the 450-psig system. The air is heated in a 1,100°F non-vitiated heater at flows up to 20 lb/s, which can be valved to either test stand. The airflow passes through the test section, is water spray quenched, and is then discharged to the altitude exhaust system or the atmospheric exhaust system. The facility preheater consists of a heat exchanger fired by four J-47 burner cans using natural gas for a fuel and the 40-psig combustion air. The research hardware uses ASTM Jet-A, JP-5, or JP-8 as a fuel.
CE-5B-1 Special Features
In addition to inlet and exit rakes and standard instrumentation, water-cooled gas sampling rakes are in the downstream section. Particulate measurements are taken at the exit of the combustion section. Optical accessibility of the combustor section allows never-before-possible nonintrusive laser-based diagnostics of the reacting and non-reacting flowfield. These include such techniques as planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) imaging, Planar Mie scattering, Phase/Doppler particle analysis (PDPA), focused Schlieren imaging, and light sheet photography. Both rigs share the gas analysis, particulate analysis, and diagnostics equipment.
CE-5B Facility Capabilities (typical of both rigs)
Parameter
Operating Value
Inlet Air Supply Pressure
450 psig
Inlet Air Temperature
100°F, preheated to 350-1,350°F
Inlet Airflow Stand 1 Stand 2
20 lb/s (available) 0.5 to 12.0 pps 0.5 to 5.0 pps
HC – 1,000 ppm 1% & 5% CO – 2,000 ppm 5% CO2 – 5%, 10%, 20% O2 – 25% NO – 100 ppm, 1,000 ppm 1% NOx –
Laser
PLIF, Raman
Flame Tube Combustor Studies (CE-5B-2)
CE-5B-2 is one of the two test stands in the CE-5B facility. It can be configured to study lean-premixed-prevaporized (LPP) and lean-direct-injection (LDI) concepts for developing a low-NOx combustor for high-speed research and advanced subsonic applications. The non-windowed combustion flame tube can use a 3-inch square cross section or a 3-inch-diameter round section and has six ports available for gas sampling probes. The windowed combustion flame tube takes advantage of the flat walls on a 3-inch square cross section to install optical windows for non-intrusive measurements. Tests are conducted with combustion air inlet pressure ranging from 10 to 15 atmospheres with preheater and exhaust conditions described for CE-5B-1.
CE-5B-2 Special Features
The same laser-based non-intrusive diagnostics of reacting and non-reacting flowfields described for test position CE-5B-1 are available to this test section. A typical data acquisition system is used for both test positions in CE-5B. In addition, most of the optical diagnostic instruments have their own data acquisition systems.
CE-5B Facility Capabilities (typical of both rigs)
Parameter
Operating Value
Inlet Air Supply Pressure
450 psig
Inlet Air Temperature
100°F, preheated to 350-1,350°F
Inlet Airflow Stand 1 Stand 2
20 lb/s (available) 0.5 to 12.0 pps 0.5 to 5.0 pps
HC – 1,000 ppm 1% & 5% CO – 2,000 ppm 5% CO2 – 5%, 10%, 20% O2 – 25% NO – 100 ppm, 1,000 ppm 1% NOx –
Laser
PLIF, Raman
Combustion and Dynamics Facility (CE-13C)
Test Cell CE-13 Combustion and Dynamics Facility (CDF) is used to investigate ways to reduce NOx and particulate emissions from air-breathing aircraft engines. This low-pressure (1-5 atm) facility is used to study fuel-air injection schemes and how they affect fluid mixing, emissions, dynamics, and flame stability. Jet-A fuel is the primary fuel, but candidate alternate jet fuels and their effects are also studied. Standard measurements consist of major species and dynamic pressures. Some optical measurements available are high-speed video, standard and time-resolved 2D PIV, planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF), and chemiluminescence imaging.
CE-13C test stand.
CE-13C Special Features
Research hardware is designed to flow vertically downwards. Preheated air is fed to the inlet air stream conditioner and then to the fuel injector. Fuel at room temperature is fed separately to the injector. The mixed hot air and fuel mixture moves to the combustor where combustion can be observed via customized windows. The products of combustion flow through an emission sampling ring and choke nozzle/straight outlet pipe. The fuel system consists of a 25-gallon fuel tank, a pump, and a GN2 purge. A separate laser room operates various class 3B and 4 lasers (UV, Vis, NIR) to characterize fuel injection, combustor flow, and measure combustion species.
64 voltage/current channels 32 temperature channels 10 voltage/current channels available to the customer 30 temperature channels available to customer
CO – 1,000 ppm, 5,000 ppm CO2 – 5%, 15% O2 – 25% NO – 100 ppm, 1,000 ppm NOx – 100 ppm, 1,000 ppm HC – 100 ppm, 1,000 ppm
High-Pressure Gaseous Burner (SE-5)
The SE-5 High-Pressure Combustion Diagnostics (HPCD) laboratory is a gas- and liquid-fueled high-pressure flame tube facility with single-element fuel injection burners and emission sampling ports for advanced diagnostics development and national standard calibrations. The facility provides large-aperture optical access to the primary reaction zone (flame holding) through four UV-grade fused silica optical windows (44-mm-thick by 85-mm clear apertures located around the periphery) enabling non-intrusive optical diagnostics such as laser Raman spectroscopy or high-speed imaging to measure chemical species and temperature. The HPCD rig can operate at sustained pressures up to 30 atm (or 60 atm with limited flow rate) with a variety of gaseous fuels, liquid jet fuels, and oxidizers, including hydrogen, methane, oxygen-argon, and pure oxygen. The innovative microtube array burner or micro-radial-entry counter-swirl (MRX) burner is mounted inside the air-cooled high-temperature liner casing within the rig. The burner was designed to provide a uniform combustion product zone downstream of the flame for calibrating the laser diagnostic system. The facility is also used for bench-mark tests of emission gas and particulate matters (PM) sampling. The data from the HPCD rig enables the validation of numerical codes such as powered by advanced CFD that simulate gas turbine combustors. All aspects of the facility operation, including startup, shutdown, and automatic safety shutdowns, are controlled and monitored via an icon-based touch-screen software system and a most-updated programmable logic controller (PLC) in conjunction with a precision DEWETRON data acquisition system. The HPCD rig can also provide a pressure vessel for prototype thermal or combustion hardware of a customer’s choice.
SE-5 Special Features
The facility is unique because it is the only continuous-flow, hydrogen-capable 60-atm rig in the world with optical access. It will provide researchers with new insights into flame conditions that simulate the environment inside the ultra-high pressure-ratio combustion chambers of tomorrow’s advanced aircraft engines.
SE-5 Facility Capabilities
Parameter
Operating Value
Cooling Capacity
4,000,000 BTU/hr
Equivalence Ratio Variance
0.2 (fuel very lean) – 4 (fuel rich)
Fuel Flow Rate
Limited by cooling capacity, e.g., 2 GPH of n-heptane
Operating Pressure
30 atm nominal, 60 atm max
Cooling Airflow
0.25 lbm/s max
Quenching Airflow
0.20 lbm/s max
SE-5 System Instrumentation and Diagnostics
System
Number and Type
Pressure Transducers and Thermocouples
Custom
DEWETRON DAQ
Custom
Emission Gas Sampling (Exhaust)
NO, NOx, SOx, O2, CO, CO2
Particulates Sampling (Exhaust)
Mass (TSI), counter (TSI), In-line sensor (GRC in-house)
Laser Raman Spectroscopy (In Flame)
Custom
In-situ Soot Detection
Extinction measurements
Particulate Aerosol Laboratory (SE-11)
The Particulate Aerosol Laboratory (PAL) studies aerosols at simulated upper atmospheric conditions with altitudes up to 55,000 feet at -135°F. Altitude chamber environment and burner settings are individually controlled, creating a multitude of test parameters and a dynamic testing environment. The PAL facility is designed around a small-scale jet exhaust nozzle and altitude chamber and takes full advantage of its reduced size for screening of various alternative fuels, additives, and other combustion concepts. This makes PAL the ideal facility for validating the advancement of such research to the next phase.
Combustion fuel operation capabilities include alternative fuel additive mixing in real-time mode with switching between a baseline fuel and an alternative fuel while maintaining a continuous combustion flame. Heated bypass air is available with optional external burner and associated piping heating up to 1,000°F. Additionally, PAL is enhancing its cloud simulation capability with real-time atmospheric water vapor content readings and on-demand direct liquid injector vaporizers for high purity 100% fluid vaporization.
The SE-11 altitude chamber with the burner and alternate fuel HLPC pumps.
SE-11 Special Features
Particulate emission sample extraction taking at burner rear section. Chamber equipped with windows and fused silica lenses providing optical access for non-intrusive optical diagnostic Mie scattering and color video imaging. Particulate size and number density measurements are accomplished with absorption measurements and forward, back, and side scattering. Video capability of both burner flame and altitude chamber contrails. Optical measurement plane location relative to the chamber nozzle exit is adjustable.
SE-11 Facility Capabilities
Parameter
Operating Value
Burner Fuel Flow Rate
.2 – 9.9 ml/min various liquid fuels
Burner Air
-Filtered and dried -Downstream heated or non-heated bypass air available to ≤1,000°F
Burner EGT
≤1,000° F
Particle Sizing Range
2.5-1,000 nm
Particle Size Distribution Concentration Range
10-107 particles/cm³
Aerosol Particle Size Range
.75-10 nm
Gas Composition Analyzer
CO – CO₂ – O₂
Optic Light Source
300W Xenon Lamp
Optic Video
-32-bit Color -16-bit Monochrome, -Frame rate: 15fps
Optic Detectors
Selection of Various Spectrometers and Photodiodes
Using Our Facilities
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland provides ground test facilities to industry, government, and academia. If you are considering testing in one of our facilities or would like further information about a specific facility or capability, please let us know.
NASA Awards Contract for Airborne Science Flight Services Support
NASA has awarded Dynamic Aviation Group Inc. of Bridgewater, Virginia, the Commercial Aviation Services contract to support the agency’s Airborne Science Program. The program provides aircraft and technology to further science and advance the use of Earth observing satellite data, making NASA data about our home planet and innovations accessible to all.
This is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum potential value of $13.5 million. The period of performance began Friday, Jan. 31, and continues through Jan. 30, 2030.
Under this contract, the company will provide ground and flight crews and services using modified commercial aircraft, including a Beechcraft King Air B200 and Beechcraft King Air A90. Work will include mechanical and electrical engineering services for instrument integration and de-integration, flight planning and real-time tracking, project execution, as well as technical feasibility assessments and cost estimation. Aircraft modifications may include instrumented nosecones, viewing ports, inlets, computing systems, and satellite communications capabilities.
This work is essential for NASA to conduct airborne science missions, develop and validate earth system models, and support satellite payload calibration. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will administer the agency-wide contract on behalf of the Airborne Science Program in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
To learn more about NASA and agency programs, visit:
NASA Presses Forward Search for VIPER Moon Rover Partner
NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) sits outside a testing chamber after completing its thermal vacuum testing in the fall of 2024. Credit: NASA/JSC David DeHoyos
To advance plans of securing a public/private partnership and land and operate NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission on the Moon in collaboration with industry the agency announced Monday it is seeking U.S. proposals. As part of the agency’s Artemis campaign, instruments on VIPER will demonstrate U.S. industry’s ability to search for ice on the lunar surface and collect science data.
The Announcement for Partnership Proposal contains proposal instructions and evaluation criteria for a new Lunar Volatiles Science Partnership. Responses are due Thursday, Feb. 20. After evaluating submissions, any selections by the agency will require respondents to submit a second, more detailed, proposal. NASA is expected to make a decision on the VIPER mission this summer.
“Moving forward with a VIPER partnership offers NASA a unique opportunity to engage with the private sector,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Such a partnership provides the opportunity for NASA to collect VIPER science that could tell us more about water on the Moon, while advancing commercial lunar landing capabilities and resource prospecting possibilities.”
This new announcement comes after NASA issued a Request for Information on Aug. 9, 2024, to seek interest from American companies and institutions in conducting a mission using the agency’s VIPER Moon rover after the program was canceled in July 2024.
Any partnership would work under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. This type of partnership allows both NASA and an industry partner to contribute services, technology, and hardware to the collaboration.
As part of an agreement, NASA would contribute the existing VIPER rover as-is. Potential partners would need to arrange for the integration and successful landing of the rover on the Moon, conduct a science/exploration campaign, and disseminate VIPER-generated science data. The partner may not disassemble the rover and use its instruments or parts separately from the VIPER mission. NASA’s selection approach will favor proposals that enable data from the mission’s science instruments to be shared openly with anyone who wishes to use it.
“Being selected for the VIPER partnership would benefit any company interested in advancing their lunar landing and surface operations capabilities,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in the Science Mission Directorate. “This solicitation seeks proposals that clearly describe what is needed to successfully land and operate the rover, and invites industry to propose their own complementary science goals and approaches. NASA is looking forward to partnering with U.S. industry to meet the challenges of performing volatiles science in the lunar environment.”
The Moon is a cornerstone for solar system science and exoplanet studies. In addition to helping inform where ice exists on the Moon for potential future astronauts, understanding our nearest neighbor helps us understand how it has evolved and what processes shaped its surface.
