THE American space agency has successfully landed its Perseverance rover in a deep crater near the planet’s equator called Jezero.
Engineers at Nasa’s mission control in California erupted with joy when the confirmation of touchdown came through.
“The good news is the spacecraft, I think, is in great shape,” said Matt Wallace, the mission’s deputy project manager.
Congratulations to NASA and everyone whose hard work made Perseverance’s historic landing possible. Today proved once again that with the power of science and American ingenuity, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. pic.twitter.com/NzSxW6nw4k
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2021
The six-wheeled vehicle will now spend at least the next two years drilling into the local rocks, looking for evidence of past life.
BBC