GPS coordinates for the mission's headquarters at the JPL were also included in Perseverance parachute |
Systems engineer Ian Clark used a binary code to spell out
“Dare Mighty Things” in the orange and white strips of the 21-metre parachute.
He also included the GPS coordinates for the mission's headquarters at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Clark, a crossword hobbyist, came up with the idea two years
ago. Engineers wanted an unusual pattern in the nylon fabric to know how the
parachute was oriented during descent. Turning it into a secret message was
“super fun," he said Tuesday.
Only about six people knew about the encoded message before
Thursday’s landing, according to Clark. They waited until the parachute images
came back before putting out a teaser during a televised news conference
Monday.
It took just a few hours for space fans to figure it out,
Clark said. Next time, he noted, "I’ll have to be a little bit more
creative."
"Dare Mighty Things" — a line from President
Theodore Roosevelt — is a mantra at JPL and adorns many of the centre's walls.
The trick was "trying to come up with a way of encoding it but not making
it too obvious," Clark said.
As for the GPS coordinates, the spot is 3 metres from the
entrance to JPL's visitor centre.
Another added touch not widely known until touchdown:
Perseverance bears a plaque depicting all five of NASA's Mars rovers in
increasing size over the years — similar to the family car decals seen on
Earth.
Deputy project manager Matt Wallace promises more so-called
hidden Easter eggs. They should be visible once Perseverance's 2-metre arm is
deployed in a few days and starts photographing under the vehicle, and again
when the rover is driving in a couple weeks.
“Definitely, definitely should keep a good lookout,” he urged.
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