Congratulations to NASA; project success

NASA has announced its largest, most advanced rover has successfully landed on Mars.

Demonstrating what projects under way today can achieve, the Perseverance rover has captured the world’s attention as it begins two years of exploration on the Red Planet, collecting artifacts to return to Earth as part of the Mars 2020 Program, a science-driven, technology-enabled study of Mars as a planetary system.

The 1,026-kilogram, roughly car-sized, robotic geologist and astrobiologist is packed with technology. The programme also includes the deployment of the Ingenuity helicopter drone - a project that seeks to test powered flight on another planet for the first time.

“This mission is about what humans can achieve when they persevere. We made it this far. Now, watch us go” said John McNamee, project manager of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) which constructs and operates robotic spacecraft.

The landing took place in a large impact basin just north of the Martian equator. Scientists have determined that 3.5 billion years ago the crater had its own river delta and was filled with water.

APM would like to congratulate all those involved in the project and wishes them all the best for the future of the programme.

The Mars 2020 mission launched July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 

You can discover more about NASA’s work on this project here.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech