Successful Landing of US Mars Rover Perseverance... First Photo Transmitted (Update 2)

Mission to Search for Ancient Life Traces on Hwaseong Begins

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The United States' fifth Mars rover, 'Perseverance,' has successfully landed on Mars and transmitted its first photo.

According to NASA on the 18th (local time), Perseverance landed on the 'Jezero Crater,' an ancient delta on Mars. It immediately began its mission to search for signs of life on Mars. Rob Manning, chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, appeared on NASA's own broadcast, NASA TV, saying, "Today's achievement shows that if we all work together, we can accomplish anything," adding, "We must continue this work not only for scientific achievements but also for our nation and humanity."

NASA researchers will start working from 2 p.m. local Mars time to communicate with Perseverance and will guide its exploration on Mars late into the night.

The most notable feature of Perseverance is that it carries a flying drone called 'Ingenuity.' If Ingenuity flies on Mars, it will become the first powered aircraft to fly on another planet in human history. Ingenuity will fly overhead and help guide Perseverance's route.

Perseverance was launched on July 30 last year and traveled 471 million kilometers to reach Mars. The rover successfully passed the 'seven minutes of terror' landing process, known as the most dangerous phase of Mars flight.

The Jezero Crater, where Perseverance landed, is estimated to be a delta where water flowed 3 to 4 billion years ago, making it a promising site to discover microbial traces.

Equipped with instruments to analyze soil composition, Perseverance will search for organic materials in the Jezero Crater, collect soil samples, and store them in designated locations. These samples will later be retrieved by another rover to be launched, transferred to another spacecraft, and sent back to Earth in 2031.

Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan said in an interview with CNN, "This mission is a very important event in humanity's exploration of the solar system," adding, "If Perseverance can find signs of life, it will greatly help us understand Earth's climate environment." He also added, "We will also learn why all life disappeared from Mars."

Reactions on social media have been explosive. When NASA posted images of Mars taken by Perseverance on Twitter, it recorded 110,000 retweets and 270,000 likes within 30 minutes.

On the 18th (local time), immediately after the successful landing of the Mars rover 'Perseverance' on Mars, researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory located in Pasadena, California, USA, are cheering. Pasadena, USA = EPA Photo

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.