So far The NASA’s Perseverance Rover has been continuously Drilling and collecting rock samples from the surface of Mars but now drilling has been deferred and the rover focusing on driving.
In the mean time, the sampling team is busy studying the data we have collected so far and concluding on What kind of information do we get from the drill, and how do the rocks we have drilled differ from each other?
The Rover has a rotary percussion, which pushes the drill into rotation and shocks. The “PRODAPT” algorithms controls the amount of power and permeability.
We call this algorithm “prodapt,” short for proprioceptive adaptive, because the drill adjusts its own settings and assesses and evaluates its own real-time performance, and is made to adapt to this algorithm.
The goal of “prodapt” is to try and maintain a constant progress rate in drilling rocks which is neither too slow nor too fast. The speed is set in such a way that keeps the drill bits running and produces high-quality cores and abrasions.
Read: Perseverance Rover’s New Milestone: Completed Compaign Focussing Jezero Crater Floor
Goal Of The PRODAPT
The prodapt algorithm ranges from level 0 to level 20. Level 0 to Level 2 have absolutely no percussion, just called rotary drilling. (We use this low level only for scoring, as we never just go for rotation.) Level 3 is light percussion and intensity goes up from level 20 to full intensity and maximum percussion.
Different Levels Of PRODAPT
The prodapt algorithm ranges from level 0 to level 20. Level 0 to Level 2 have absolutely no percussion, just called rotary drilling. (We use this low level only for scoring, as we never just go for rotation.) Level 3 is light percussion and intensity goes up from level 20 to full intensity and maximum percussion.
Significance Of PRODAPT
The drill feels like it is not moving fast enough in the process it will increase the level of professional adaptation. If it feels it is moving too fast, it will lower its level.
Since hard rocks often require higher levels, the interaction between the drill and the rock is complex, so the prodapt level does not always match the strength of the rock. Stones may require a high level of drilling, but they break easily with other types of tools.
So, which breeds require the lowest level of adaptability and which ones require the highest? So far we’ve done a series of 1 wear and 2 cores on 4 different rocks:
- Rochette (August – September 2021)
- Brac (November 2021)
- Issole (December 2021 – February 2022)
- Sid (March 2022)
Let’s start with a rock that requires the lowest level. Issole. It is easy to drill into a rotation mode only as part of the two cores.
The second light rock was a brooch, and the third lung was Brac and 5hr third easiest was the Rochette. Both use the PRODAPT level used in the middle of the range if they do not rotate the nucleus.
Finally, the stone that requires the highest product of the product was SID. This rock was difficult to penetrate and both cores required level 20 to maintain target penetration.
Read more: The Speed of Sound on Mars Is Peculiarly Different, New Study Reveals
Conclusion
The sampling team is looking forward to arriving in the delta and starting drilling in the new area. Meanwhile, the rover continued to make big strides, and recently reached a total range of 5 miles (8 km).
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