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Mars 2020 Showing Some Inflight Heat

Nov. 10, 2020
An electrical cable can be seen snaking its way along insulation material in this in-flight image of the interior of the Mars 2020 spacecraft on its way to the Red Planet.

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.

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

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