NASA released a stunning picture of its newest rover being lowered onto the dusty red surface after world got its first close-up look at a Mars landing on Friday. The photo was released less than 24 hours after the Perseverance rover successfully touched down near an ancient river delta.
NASA equipped the spacecraft with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of which were turned on during Thursday’s descent. This February 18, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance rover lowered towards the surface of Mars during its powered descent. (PC-NASA via AP)
The rover is shown in extraordinary detail just 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) off the ground, being lowered by cables attached to an overhead sky crane, the red dust kicked up by rocket engines. This photo provided by NASA shows one of the six wheels on the Perseverance Mars rover, which landed on Thursday. (PC-NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
According to officials, the vehicle is healthy after landing on a flat, safe surface in Jezero Crater with just 1 degree of tilt and relatively small rocks nearby. This photo provided by NASA shows the first color image sent by the Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on Thursday. (PC-NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)
The rover landed near the river delta — awash 3 billion to 4 billion years ago — is just over 1 mile (2 kilometers) away. Members of NASA’s Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, U.S. on February 18. (PC-NASA/Bill Ingalls/Handout via REUTERS)