Looking up at the parachute above the descent level that carried the Perseverance rover to the surface of Mars. The white and orange striped patterns had a secret hidden message. Can you decode it? Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech / Phys.org.
The world watched with delight as NASA’s Perseverance rover safely landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. Despite a huge potential for catastrophe in the seven minutes of horror that its -all Mars rover to pass through Mars atmosphere and land safely, everything worked as planned for permanence, and a touchdown was a huge success. One of the most impressive parts of the entrance – all captured on video – was when the large parachute, 70 feet (21 meters) in diameter, was inserted overhead. degree of descent and out in shape. But did you know that the orange and white patterns on the inside of the parachute – surprisingly clear when they landed, thanks to Perseverance ‘s high – resolution cameras – weren’t just random? A secret message was encoded into the bottom of the parachute!
It’s true. The message was the work of Ian Clark, a systems engineer for the Sustainability mission. He used a simple binary code to place the phrase Dare Mighty Things – made famous by President Theodore Roosevelt – among the colored stripes. Commenting on the hidden message, he simply stated that:
Really fun.
Watch cool video: Scenes and sounds from Perseverance on Mars
The message has been decoded. The binary resolution describes “Dare Mighty Things” and also includes GPS coordinates for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech / Phys.org.
The code also included the GPS coordinates for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The exact location is 10 feet (3 meters) from the entrance to the JPL visitor center.
How did Clark come up with this idea?
He thought about it a year or two ago, after the engineers for the mission wanted to incorporate some sort of pattern into the parachute ‘s clothing so that they could tell how it was guidance through the descent to the surface. Not only did he do that, but he added a fun puzzle into the design as well.
The mission team approached at a press conference that there was something hidden in the pattern after the images started coming back and the public saw the parachute stretching out over the reasonable rate for the first time. Could anyone figure it out?
John Clark, a systems engineer for the Sustainability mission, created the secret message that was coded into the rover ‘s parachute. Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech / SpaceWatch.Global.
It didn’t take long for the message to be coded by internet sleuths, just a few hours. Clark responded by saying that next time:
… I need to be a little more creative.
Clark said he was:
Trying to create a way to code it but without making it too obvious.
Submitting hidden messages to unleash people is a great way to further the public interest. NASA’s former Mars rover, Curiosity, which is still heavily involved, had a word in Morse code – JPL – inserted into the pattern of holes in the rover’s wheels. The resulting wheeled paths would show the coding pattern as they crossed the sandy terrain. Cool!
It was also not the only “Easter egg” added to permanence. A chart on the rover also shows the five NASA astronauts who have gone to Mars so far, in order: Sojourner, Opportunity, Spirit, Curiosity and Sustainability. The small Ingenuity helicopter is also introduced, alongside Perseverance.
The holes in the wheels of the Curiosity rover spell out JPL in Morse code. Image via NASA / JPL / Wikimedia Commons.
Matt Wallace, Perseverance’s deputy project manager, also said that once more is seen once the rover’s robotic arm is inserted and takes images of the rover’s base:
Of course, it should definitely be well monitored.
Engineers are now busy inspecting the systems on the rover before it starts to maneuver, to make sure everything is working as it should. But soon, he begins to move through the old bed and delta, beginning to look for evidence of an old microbial life. Innovation will also testify to the first powered flight in the Martian atmosphere. Exciting times ahead!
Bottom line: There was a hidden message in the striped pattern on the parachute that the Perseverance rover would land on Mars.
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