Nichols Martin
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is using Amazon Web Services' cloud computing technology to process and host data from the Perseverance rover, which touched down Thursday on Mars to survey the red planet.
The company said Monday its cloud platform helps JPL personnel manage hundreds of imagery that rover cameras gather each day and transmit to the Mars 2020 mission team on the ground.
Perseverance also employs multiple sensors and microphones to respectively collect scientific and audio information during its mission, AWS noted.
NASA will make this data accessible to the public on an AWS-powered website built to accommodate large amounts of user interactions at any time of the day. The agency will also offer a 3D experience where people can virtually witness Perseverance's point of view on Mars.
“From the outset, AWS cloud services have enabled NASA JPL in its mission to capture and share mission-critical images, and help to answer key questions about the potential for life on Mars," said Teresa Carlson, vice president for worldwide public sector and industries at AWS and a six-time Wash100 awardee.
The partnership began preparation work for Mars 2020 more than five years ago.
