Perseverance, the biggest, most advanced rover ever sent by NASA, became the ninth spacecraft since the 1970s to successfully land on Mars, every one of them from the U.S. It landed in the Jezero Crater, which NASA scientists believe to be an ancient lake that is now dry.
However, they believe this is one of the best spots on Mars to search for signs of ancient life.
“There is an inlet channel, and an outlet channel, on this lake. Even better than that there is an amazing remanence of a delta, and we have never been near a river delta on another planet,” said Dr. Roger Wiens, the Perseverance Supercam lead scientist. “This is what got all of these scientists so excited about this landing site.”
We are now encountering a new era of exploration on Mars. Moreover, this was just the first leg of a roundtrip journey.
“Onboard Perseverance we have some pieces of technology that are specifically flying to mars to advance human exploration,” said Adam Steltzner, NASA Perseverance chief engineer.
There will be microphones recording what the surface of Mars sounds like.
“Did life also start on Mars when life started here on Earth. That’s one of the questions we’ll be trying to answer,” said Steltzner.
The mission includes an experiment hoping to turn carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into breathable oxygen for astronauts, and liquid oxygen for rocket propellant for future missions.
The landing marks the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around Mars on successive days last week. All three missions lifted off in July to take advantage of the close alignment of Earth and Mars, journeying some 300 million miles in nearly seven months.
This photo made available by NASA shows the first image sent by the Perseverance rover showing the surface of Mars, just after landing in the Jezero crater, on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. (NASA via AP)
Bekah Siegfriedt, Mars 2020 mission operator comments on the Mars 2020 Perseverance's descent to the surface of the planet which has been described by NASA as "seven minutes of terror," in which flight controllers can only watch helplessly, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
In this illustration made available by NASA, the Perseverance rover, with its heat shield facing the planet, begins its descent through the Martian atmosphere. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
Images from Nasa are streamed live showing the landing of NASA's Perseverance on Mars, shown on Piccadilly Lights in central London, Thursday Feb. 18, 2021. The Mars rover landing mission begins it's search for traces of life after the successful landing, to explore and collect samples for future return to Earth. Eros statue top left. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
In this illustration made available by NASA, the Perseverance rover casts off its spacecraft's cruise stage, minutes before entering the Martian atmosphere. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
A full-scale model of the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity is displayed for the media at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
In this illustration provided by NASA, the Perseverance rover fires up its descent stage engines as it nears the Martian surface.. This phase of its entry, descent and landing sequence, or EDL, is known as "powered descent." (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Administrator Science Mission Directorate, raises his arms, center, with Lori Glaze, Director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate's Planetary Science Division, right, as they walk with members of NASA's Perseverance rover team after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
In this photo provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The landing of the six-wheeled vehicle marks the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around the planet on successive days last week. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
This photo made available by NASA shows the second image sent by the Perseverance rover showing the surface of Mars, just after landing in the Jezero crater, on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. (NASA via AP)
This illustration provided by NASA depicts the Mars 2020 spacecraft carrying the Perseverance rover as it approaches Mars. Perseverance's $3 billion mission is the first leg in a U.S.-European effort to bring Mars samples to Earth in the next decade. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, members of the Perseverance Mars rover team study data on monitors in mission control, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The landing of the six-wheeled vehicle would mark the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around the planet on successive days last week. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
In this illustration made available by NASA, the spacecraft containing the Perseverance rover slows down using the drag generated by traveling through the Martian atmosphere. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
In this photo provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The landing of the six-wheeled vehicle marks the third visit to Mars in just over a week. Two spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates and China swung into orbit around the planet on successive days last week. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Jennifer Trosper, deputy project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory comments on the Mars 2020 Perseverance's descent, which has been described by NASA as "seven minutes of terror," in which flight controllers can only watch helplessly, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
In this photo provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
This photo made available by NASA shows the first image sent by the Perseverance rover showing the surface of Mars, just after landing in the Jezero crater, on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. (NASA via AP)
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