NASA’s Perseverance rover has safely landed on the surface of Mars after surviving a long journey through the Martian atmosphere. The technology touched down at the Jezero crater on Thursday afternoon after a process described as “seven minutes of terror,” referring to the seven minutes it takes the spacecraft to complete the descent. The technology survived scorching temperatures, deploying a parachute, and navigating towards a targeted safe landing spot.
NASA confirmed the touchdown at 3:55 p.m. Eastern time. The spacecraft went from traveling at 12,000 miles per hour to just 1.7 miles in seven minutes, the speed required to make a safe landing. Communication between NASA mission control and the technology is delayed by 11 minutes due to the distance between Earth and Mars, making the landing process nerve-wracking and complex. The entire landing process must be accomplished autonomously by the spacecraft, an aspect that proved to be successful for the Perseverance rover.
Read More: NASA’s Perseverance rover has landed on Mars
