Inferred wind speed and direction during the descent and landing of Perseverance on Mars

Perseverance successfully parachuted into Jezero crater close to its western rim on a Martian spring afternoon. In situ observations of the wind conditions during the parachute and powered descent are unavailable. These observations are important for characterising the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and to better constrain atmospheric conditions in Jezero crater. We infer the winds during Perseverance's parachute descent from an altitude of 12 km down to 2 km by fitting a trajectory model to the reconstructed trajectory data published by the M2020 Entry, Descent and Landing team. Below 2 km altitude we infer the winds by analysing a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) image of the landing site that was obtained about one sol after the landing. Our inferred wind speed and direction profile indicate high speed winds at an altitude of 7 km blowing from the east and at 3 km blowing from the southwest. Below an altitude of 2 km, the winds are inferred to be easterlies. The heat shield impact on the surface was observed by Perseverance's Lander Vision System Camera (LCAM). Afterwards, ejecta clouds were observed moving towards the north of the impact site. These observations, together with the orientation of the parachute canopy on the surface, suggest near-surface winds at the time were southerlies. We have inferred the wind speed and direction during Perseverance's descent that are consistent with its horizontal motion as revealed by trajectory data and HiRISE image. Comparisons with atmospheric models suggest the high speed winds could be related to topographic forcing. This study provides constraints for atmospheric modelling and advances the characterisation of winds in Jezero crater, focusing on the vertical structure of the complex wind field present in the crater. •Wind profiles are inferred by fitting a trajectory model to Perseverance descent data.•Inferred wind profiles for Perseverance are compared to a variety of atmospheric models.•The inferred winds diverge from GCM data between about 2 and 10 km altitude.•Agreement appears to improve with higher resolution atmospheric models.•Atmospheric models and inferred winds are mostly in agreement close to the surface.