Welcome To Jezero

NASA released a still image that is part of a video taken by several cameras aboard the rover’s descent stage as it touched down on Mars at 3:55 p.m. EST on Feb. 18. Unlike with past rovers, the majority of Perseverance’s cameras capture color images.

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured this view of sister ship Perseverance’s touchdown inside Jezero Crater. The descent stage holding the new rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind. The ancient river delta, which is the target of the Perseverance mission, can be seen entering Jezero Crater from the left. MRO was about 435 mi. from Perseverance and traveling at about 6,750 mph when the image was taken.

This high-resolution image from one of Perseverance’s color Hazard Cameras shows one of the rover’s six wheels on the ground in Jezero Crater.

From a mission support area at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Perseverance engineer Mallory Lefland tensely awaits data revealing the rover’s fate during its high-risk entry, descent and landing on Mars.

A pandemic-conscious flight control team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, celebrates when Perseverance’s seven-month journey to Mars ends with a successful touchdown.

Minutes after its 3:55 p.m. EST landing, the Perseverance rover relayed a picture of its new home in Jezero Crater. The view from one its Hazard Cameras is partly obscured by a dust cover.

NASA’s Perseverance rover was able to use its new Terrain-Relative Navigation technology to avoid hazards and find a safe place to land in Jezero Crater on Mars. In this graphic, the blue areas are considered safe zones and red are considered more dangerous. Perseverance’s landing spot is marked with a green dot.