Moving the Lens Cover on Perseverance's SHERLOC

On May 11, 2024, the 1,147th Martian day, or sol, of Perseverance's mission, the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard the NASA Mars rover took these three images showing movement of the cover for the Autofocus and Context Imager (ACI) camera during a test to characterize the behavior of the cover mechanism. Part of the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence) instrument, the cover is designed to protect the instrument's spectrometer and one of its cameras from dust. On Jan. 6, 2024, the cover froze in a position that prevented SHERLOC from collecting data. The rover team found a way to address the issue so the instrument can continue to operate. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover is also characterizing the planet's geology and past climate, which paves the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26338