‘Exhilarating’ Photo Shows Perseverance Rover Being Lowered to the Martian Surface

NASA released a stunning photo of yesterday’shistoric landing , showing the Perseverance roamer being lower to the open during the skycrane maneuver .

Viewing the rover from that perspective “ is not something that we ’ve ever seen before , ” said Aaron Stehura , the deputy stage lead for entry , descent , and landing , at a NASA press group discussion today , total that his team was “ awestruck ” by the image . The hi - res picture was captured by a camera aboard the descent level .

Adam Steltzner , Perseverance chief engineer , said the rover was about 23 feet ( 7 meter ) above the open when the image was take . Incredibly , wisps of rubble can be seen climb from the surface , the result of retro - rockets force out during the concluding stages of the stock . Steltzner described the raft as “ exhilarating . ”

Hi-res image showing the rover seconds before reaching the Martian surface.

Hi-res image showing the rover seconds before reaching the Martian surface.Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA also released a photo taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter , showing the fomite descending to the aerofoil with the supersonic parachute unfurled . The white rophy in the image shows the eventual landing spot in Jezero crater .

The roamer will drop the next two years look for traces of microscopic aliveness , among other scientific and engineering science tasks .

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Perseverance with parachute unfurled. The white circle is the eventual landing spot.