Mars Rover Perseverance Successfully Lands to Collect Signs of Ancient Life

Mars Rover Perseverance Successfully Lands, to Collect Signs of Ancient Life.

NASA's Perseverance landed on the red planet in the Jezero Crater just before 4 p.m.

EST on Feb.

18.

Scientists believe the crater may have once been a "possible oasis in [the planet's] distant past.".

Between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago, a river there flowed into a body of water the size of Lake Tahoe, depositing sediments packed with carbonite minerals and clay, NASA Press Release, via 'People'.

This was the first time in the history of the human race that a Mars landing was captured on video.

The video is expected to be available to view on Feb.

19.

NASA also shared the first image sent back by Perseverance.

.

On board Perseverance is Ingenuity, a miniature helicopter.

If all goes as planned, Ingenuity will be the first craft of its kind to travel on another planet.

Perseverance's mission is slated for one Mars year, which equates to just over two Earth years.

The craft will collect soil and rock samples from the surface of Mars, which scientists hope will provide evidence of ancient Martian life