NASAs Perseverance rover has landed safely on Mars. The spacecraft survived its journey through the Martian atmosphere and made a soft touchdown at Jezero crater.Shortly after landing, it sent back this picture from the surface using its Hazard Avoidance Cameras, which it will use when on the move. The image is partially obscured by a dust cover.

What happened: Perseverance began its descent into the Martian atmosphere Thursday afternoon, a process affectionately called the seven minutes of terror. The spacecraft survived scorching temperatures thanks to its heat shield. Its parachute deployed without a hitch, the rover was able to locate and navigate toward a safe landing spot, and the descent apparatus lowered the spacecraft down to the surface. NASA confirmed a successful touchdown at 3:55 p.m. US Eastern time. During its descent, Perseverance went from traveling at 12,000 miles per hour to just 1.7 mph in seven minutes.

Because of the distance between Earth and Mars, communication between NASA mission control and the spacecraft is delayed by 11 minutes. That means the entire landing process had to be accomplished autonomously. Onboard systems tracked the surface for hazards during descent and steered the rover away from any threats.

NASA

Whats it doing on Mars? Perseverances predecessorsSojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosityled to compelling revelations of what Mars currently looks like and what it once was. Scientists learned that the planet was once a warm planet teeming with lakes and rivers, and that its home to complex organic matter. Together, these key ingredients suggest Mars could have been habitable to microbial life in the ancient past.

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This is the first image taken by NASAs Perseverance Mars rover. Now the hunt for life begins. - MIT Technology Review