The nervousness was palpable within NASA as the time of the Perseverance
rover landed on the surface of Mars approached. But in the end,
everything went well and we have already received pictures captured by
the robot.
The event was broadcast live across the world! It was
around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 18, 2021 that Perseverance was
finally to land on Mars after a long journey that lasted about seven
months. The maneuver was more than perilous for this mission with a
budget of 2.5 billion dollars. So there was no room for error ...
read also: Perseverance, a sophisticated scientific laboratory: interview with planetologist Erwin Dehouck
Two photos for the price of one!
Thus, at 10:01 p.m. sharp,
Perseverance transmitted the first black and white photo captured just
after landing. We can see the shadow of the rover but also the surface
of the red planet. A few minutes later, a second snapshot was posted on
social networks to further confirm this great success.
The rover's landing took place under extreme conditions (the famous
seven minutes of terror). Now the vehicle is in the middle of Jezero
Crater. The latter would have housed an ancient lake more than 3.5
billion years ago. Scientists therefore hope to find signs of life
there. Perseverance's 19 cameras will not be idle in the coming months.
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