I cannot believe how cool this is — NASA's Perseverance just officially clocked 26.1 miles on Mars since it landed five years ago! That is a full marathon, and what really blows my mind is that the rover tops out at about .1 mph even under its best conditions. Do you have any idea of how slowly that is? So every single mile was fought for with constant maintenance and planning. It hit this milestone on June 14 while exploring terrain west of Jezero Crater, where the robot geologist found remnants of an ancient lake and what could be signs of past life — which might be the biggest discovery in decades!
And here is why this comparison makes it even crazier: Perseverance was only the second craft to ever travel a marathon on another world. NASA's Opportunity rover did it back in 2015, but it took Opportunity ELEVEN years and two months of driving — not five. Curiosity has been on Mars since 2012 and still hasn't hit the mark; it sits at just over 23 miles total. That tells you how much more durable this newer generation is designed to be compared to its predecessors, which also means we get to keep studying those Jezero images forever because the rover isn't going anywhere!
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2198455/nasa-perseverance-rover-has-traveled-the-distance-of-a-marathon-on-mars/
And here is why this comparison makes it even crazier: Perseverance was only the second craft to ever travel a marathon on another world. NASA's Opportunity rover did it back in 2015, but it took Opportunity ELEVEN years and two months of driving — not five. Curiosity has been on Mars since 2012 and still hasn't hit the mark; it sits at just over 23 miles total. That tells you how much more durable this newer generation is designed to be compared to its predecessors, which also means we get to keep studying those Jezero images forever because the rover isn't going anywhere!
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2198455/nasa-perseverance-rover-has-traveled-the-distance-of-a-marathon-on-mars/