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NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes a Marathon on Mars in Record Time

The six-wheeled laboratory has surpassed the 28.06-mile distance mark set by the Opportunity rover in 2018. Powered by autonomous navigation, the vehicle achieved the milestone in just five and a half years.

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NASA's Perseverance rover has officially broken the all-time planetary driving record, surpassing 28.10 miles on the Martian surface.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Smashes All-Time Planetary Driving Record on Mars

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Key numbers

26.2 miles
Distance traveled by Perseverance
5 years, 4 months
Time taken to complete the marathon
28.06 miles
All-time Mars distance record (Opportunity)
0.1 mph
Perseverance's top speed

From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes a Marathon on Mars in Record Time

Charts, maps and images

Perseverance surpassed the 28.06-mile record set by the Opportunity rover in 2018.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Smashes All-Time Planetary Driving Record on Mars ·
Autonomous navigation has allowed Perseverance to cover ground at an unprecedented pace.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Smashes All-Time Planetary Driving Record on Mars ·
Perseverance has completed its Martian marathon in less than half the time it took the Opportunity rover.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes a Marathon on Mars in Record Time ·
Without GPS satellites, Perseverance uses an onboard algorithm to match its camera views with orbital maps to pinpoint its location.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes a Marathon on Mars in Record Time ·
The rover is currently ascending the western rim of the Jezero Crater to examine rocks that are more than 4 billion years old.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Smashes All-Time Planetary Driving Record on Mars ·
Thicker aluminum wheels and a modified suspension system allow the vehicle to roll over sharp rocks without sustaining severe damage.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Smashes All-Time Planetary Driving Record on Mars ·
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The rover's primary mission is to collect rock cores that may contain signs of ancient microbial life.From: NASA's Perseverance Rover Completes a Marathon on Mars in Record Time ·

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