By Touchdown! The Perseverance has landed on Mars | First Photo Taken
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) mission control cheered on Thursday, February 18, 2021, as controllers confirmed NASA’s Perseverance rover’s safe touchdown on the Red Planet. The confirmation of the successful touchdown was announced at 3:55 p.m. EST (12:55 p.m. PST).
Touchdown confirmed. The #CountdownToMars is complete, but the mission is just beginning. pic.twitter.com/UvOyXQhhN9
— NASA (@NASA) February 18, 2021
“Cheers erupted in mission control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as controllers confirmed that NASA’s Perseverance rover, with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attached to its belly, has touched down safely on Mars. Engineers are analyzing the data flowing back from the spacecraft.
– NASA
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has also sent back its first image from the surface of Mars. According to NASA, it came from Perseverance’s Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams). “The clear protective covers over these cameras are still on. Higher-resolution versions will be available later,” the space administration explained.
Here is the the first image NASA’s Perseverance rover sent back after touching down on the Red Planet which NASA described, “is partially obscured by a dust cover.”
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Mars 2020 mission was launched July 30, 2020. Last year, Mars 2020 project manager at JPL John McNamee said, “There is still a lot of road between us and Mars. But if there was ever a team that could make it happen, it is this one. We are going to Jezero Crater. We will see you there Feb. 18, 2021.”
And then February 18, 2021 finally came and the NASA’s Perseverance rover has indeed landed on Mars.
“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,” said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk.
“The mission itself personifies the human ideal of persevering toward the future and will help us prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet,” Jurczyk added.
After 203 days and 300 million miles, our @NASAPersevere landed on Mars at 3:55 p.m. EST on Feb. 18. After spending some time checking out its systems, it’ll be rolling across the Red Planet, looking for signs of ancient Martian life. https://t.co/3Tr7doXdJS pic.twitter.com/FhwoXz5l4n
— NASA (@NASA) February 19, 2021
The Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris also congratulated NASA on the historic landing.
Thank you, @VP Harris! I’ve got ambitious goals, and a long to-do list. Looking forward to many more accomplishments to come. https://t.co/4uafckTeqm
— NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 19, 2021
Earlier today, the hashtags #Mars2020 and #CountdownToMars, a hashtag from NASA itself, were trending in the social media platform Twitter.
Screenshot: Twitter
Source: NASA| Official Twitter
Updates After NASA’s Perseverance Landing
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Get the latest update from the team that got me here: https://t.co/OVpyuZKTj2— NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 18, 2021
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Source: NASA| Blog, NASA| Perseverance Mars Rover, NASA| Press Release| Feb 19, 2021, NASA| Press Release| Jul 30, 2020, NASA| Official Twitter, NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover| Official Twitter
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