Welcome To Jezero

Irene Klotz February 19, 2021
Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Credit: NASA / JPA-Caltech

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.

Even before touching down on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance mission made history, with an unprecedented view of the Feb. 18 landing itself taken by cameras mounted in the sky crane jetpack that carried the rover the last few feet of seven-month, 293-million mi. journey.  Here is a look at landing day.

Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.