{"id":17593,"date":"2021-02-18T18:29:59","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T10:29:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-perseverance-rover-touches-down-to-start-years-long-search-for-life-on-mars\/"},"modified":"2021-02-18T18:29:59","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T10:29:59","slug":"nasas-perseverance-rover-touches-down-to-start-years-long-search-for-life-on-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-perseverance-rover-touches-down-to-start-years-long-search-for-life-on-mars\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover touches down to start years-long search for life on Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Perseverance
A raw, uncorrected image from an engineering camera on NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover shows its surroundings on Mars, including the rover\u2019s shadow. (NASA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars today and began a mission that\u2019s meant to store up evidence of past life on Mars, after a trip that came to a climax with seven minutes of delicious terror.<\/p>\n

\u201cTouchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life,\u201d lead controller Swati Mohan declared at 12:55 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n

The end of Perseverance\u2019s seven-month, 300 million-mile journey played out like a radio drama. Due to limited bandwidth and an 11-minute delay in receiving signals, there was no live video of the landing. But thanks to internet links, millions of people could listen in as Mohan called out the milestones over a live stream from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.<\/p>\n

A socially distanced cadre of controllers at JPL applauded, screamed and exchanged fist bumps after the touchdown. Moments later, the first black-and-white picture from the rover\u2019s hazard avoidance cameras was displayed on a giant screen.<\/p>\n

Engineers at Aerojet Rocketdyne\u2019s facility in Redmond, Wash., played a critical role in setting up what was arguably the riskiest phase of the descent.<\/p>\n

After the spacecraft slowed down from a speed of 12,000 mph and deployed its parachute, a \u201csky crane\u201d platform fired up eight Aerojet thrusters. While the platform hovered 65 feet above the surface of Jezero Crater, the rover was lowered to the surface on the end of a set of cables. Once the rover\u2019s six wheels touched the surface, the cables were cut, and the platform blasted itself away to a crash landing.<\/p>\n

The landing sequence was basically a rerun of the routine for 2012\u2019s Mars Curiosity rover mission. \u201cIt seemed like a wild idea at the time, when Curiosity did it, but it worked flawlessly,\u201d Bill Cahill, project manager for Aerojet\u2019s Redmond operation, said during a webcast presented by Seattle\u2019s Museum of Flight.<\/p>\n