PIA24233: Mars 2020 Showing Some Inflight Heat


Mars 2020 Showing Some Inflight Heat

Caption:

An electrical cable can be seen snaking its way along insulation material in this image of the interior of the Mars 2020 spacecraft at it cruises through interplanetary space to the Red Planet. The cable and insulation are tied to the inside of the spacecraft's heat shield, which will protect the spacecraft from the extreme temperatures generated by friction as it enters the Martian atmosphere on Feb 18, 2021. The light source is the Sun, which likely entered through a vent hole in the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) door. The picture was assembled from three images taken at different times by the Perseverance rover's rear left Hazcam during a systems check on Oct. 19, 2020. The colored pixels seen in the image are due to digital noise from the camera.

Background Info:

More information on the spacecraft can be found here: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/overview/ .

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars 2020
Instrument Host Perseverance
Host Type Rover
Instrument
Detector
Extra Keywords Atmosphere, Color
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2020-11-10
Date in Caption 2020-10-19 2021-02-18
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24233
Identifier PIA24233