The Perseverance Rover landed on the 'Jezero Crater' on Mars, in a high-risk mission. It is aimed to look for traces of ancient life on the planet.
NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover successfully landed on the Red Planet on Friday (February 19) about 2.25 am (IST) on the floor of a vast crater. "I’m safe on Mars. Perseverance will get you anywhere," Perseverance's official handle tweeted on Friday. According to DownToEarth, acting NASA Administrator, Steve Jurczyk said, “This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally, when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission embodies our nation’s spirit of persevering even in the most challenging of situations, inspiring, and advancing science and exploration. The mission itself personifies the human ideal of persevering toward the future and will help us prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.”
1. Landed on the 'Jezero Crater'
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The Perseverance Rover landed on the 'Jezero Crater' on Mars, in a high-risk mission. It is aimed to look for traces of ancient life on the planet. Following its landing, the Perseverance Rover sent its first images from Mars. "Hello, world. My first look at my forever home. #CountdownToMars," read the official Twitter handle's tweet.
2. NASA's most-ambitious Mars mission
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NASA scientists described the Perseverance as the most ambitious of nearly 20 US missions to Mars dating back to the Mariner spacecraft's 1965 fly-by. It is interesting to note that Indian-American Swati Mohan had virtually spearheaded the successful landing of Perseverance. The landing was perceived to be “so dangerous” it was nicknamed “7 minutes of terror”.
3. Perseverance sailed through space for seven months
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The Perseverance Rover sailed through space for nearly seven months, covering 293 million miles (472 million km) before piercing the Martian atmosphere at 12,000 miles per hour (19,000 km per hour) to begin its approach to and on the planet's surface.
4. US President Joe Biden, US VP Kamala Harris congratulate NASA
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Shortly after its touchdown, congratulations started pouring in for the safe landing of the robotic vehicle. US President Joe Biden in a tweet said, "Congratulations to NASA and everyone whose hard work made Perseverance's historic landing possible. Today proved once again that with the power of science and American ingenuity, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility." US Vice President Kamala Harris also tweeted, saying, "Congrats to @NASA and all of their partners on their successful mission. Today's historic landing embodies our nation’s spirit of perseverance—building on past accomplishments and paving the way for future missions."
5. LA City Hall, San Fransisco City Hall illuminated
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The LA City Hall and San Fransisco City Hall were all lit up to celebrate Perseverance's safe touchdown on Mars. "San Francisco City Hall is illuminated in red to celebrate today’s historic landing of @NASAPersevere on the surface of Mars," Perseverance's official handle tweeted.
(All images: Twitter/NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover)
