February 24th, 2021, 3:42PM / BY Mariah Baker
Artist’s rendition of Ingenuity flying on Mars. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The landing of the Mars 2020
Perseverance rover (“Percy”) on Thursday, February 18, 2021 marked the start of NASA’s ninth surface mission on the Red Planet. Percy touched down in Jezero crater on Mars, where she will set off exploring new and uncharted terrains in search of ancient signs of life. Nearly 60 years have passed since the first spacecraft were sent to Mars, and it’s inspiring (albeit sometimes unbelievable) to reflect on the progress that has been made since then. First, we sent spacecraft to fly-by, then to orbit, then to land, and finally to rove. As we’ve become more familiar with Mars over time, and as our technological capabilities have improved, our methods of and goals for exploration have evolved in turn. And with each new mission, humans have pushed the boundaries a little more or in the case of Percy, a lot more.