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Perseverance Rover Is Rovin’ On Mars

Katherine Viloria February 19th
PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, , February 18, 2021 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

NASA’s Perseverance Rover is rovin’ on the Red Planet after successfully touching down on Mars and sending back its first photos of the Martian surface.

The rover touched down Thursday afternoon after being guided through an extremely difficult landing process dubbed “seven minutes of hell”.

It’s the fifth lander that NASA has sent to Mars, and this one has a special mission – to search for signs of microbial life.

“This landing is one of those pivotal moments for NASA, the United States, and space exploration globally — when we know we are on the cusp of discovery and sharpening our pencils, so to speak, to rewrite the textbooks,” said acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk.

Watch NASA’s Perseverance Rover Land on Mars here! 

Watch NASA's Perseverance Rover Land on Mars!

Watch an epic journey unfold on Thursday, Feb. 18 as our Perseverance rover lands on Mars. To reach the surface of the Red Planet, the rover has to survive t...

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PHOTOS: NASA Perseverance Rover Landing Day

  • NASA Perseverance Rover Landing Day

    PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react in mission control after receiving confirmation the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, , February 18, 2021 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

  • NASA Perseverance Rover Landing Day

    PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, February 18, 2021 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

  • NASA Perseverance Rover Landing Day

    PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by NASA, Monitors show the status of NASA's Deep Space Network ahead of the Perseverance Mars rover landing, February 18, 2021 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

  • Perseverance Mars Rover Marble Countdown

    PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 17: In this handout image provided by NASA,, A jar with an Earth sticker and one marble inside and a jar with a Mars sticker full of marbles are seen on a conference room table of the Mission Support Area (MSA)on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Perseverance Mars rover team has been moving one marble a day since launch from jar to jar. The Perseverance Mars rover is due to land on Mars Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

  • NASA Perseverance Rover Landing Day

    PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by NASA, Members of NASAs Perseverance Mars rover management team meet via remote and in mission control, February 18, 2021 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

  • Live From Mars: Landing of NASA Perseverance Livestreamed On Piccadilly Lights

    LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: A general view of the live-stream landing of NASA's Perseverance on Mars at Piccadilly Circus on February 18, 2021 in London, England. The rover has been traveling through space since launching from Cape Canaveral at the end of July 2020. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

  • NASA Perseverance Rover Landing Day

    PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 18: In this handout image provided by NASA, members of NASA's Perseverance rover team react as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, February 18, 2021 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, paving the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

  • Live From Mars: Landing of NASA Perseverance Livestreamed On Piccadilly Lights

    LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: A general view of the live-stream landing of NASA's Perseverance on Mars at Piccadilly Circus on February 18, 2021 in London, England. The rover has been traveling through space since launching from Cape Canaveral at the end of July 2020. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Katherine Viloria is Beasley Media Group's Fort Myers Digital Content Manager. She loves to write, snap photos, and watch Grey's Anatomy. Connect with her on Instagram @alittlethisalittlekat
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