Preparing to Land Perseverance

To prepare the Perseverance rover for its date with Mars, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission team conducted a wide array of tests to help ensure a successful entry, descent and landing at the Red Planet. From parachute verification in the world’s largest wind tunnel, to hazard avoidance practice in Death Valley, California, to wheel drop testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and much more, every system was put through its paces to get ready for the big day.

The Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on Mars on February 18, 2021.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[raptor]

There's a lot of people who know very little about what NASA does and think that they're just landing some toy on Mars for fun - they have no idea how much work goes into developing, testing, and operating these magnificent machines. They are some of the most advanced unmanned laboratories ever made by mankind. It takes an enormous effort to send these spacecraft to other planets, and an even greater effort to land on them. In the end, all of the technologies developed for this still benefit us down here on earth - better wheels, faster processors, safer parachutes. It's a testament to human ingenuity.

[theunusualplanet]

Best of luck to Perseverance and Ingenuity 👍👍👍

[thejesuschrist]

NASA JPL is what you get when you put the worlds brightest together.

[kane__]

Today, the rover landed on Mars! Congrats to NASA and JPL!🛰🚀🛸🎊🎉

[hypotheticalhany]

”You need perseverance to build perseverance.”
-me 2020

[Otterwearinggloves]

The picture of Elvis on the Land Vision System (LVS -> Elvis) is very clever.

At least, I think I figured it out.

[wanderlust_intotheunknown]

All the hard work and perseverance during these difficult times will definitely be rewarded. I am pretty sure that our Perseverance rover will do all its assigned tasks and pave way for making humans multiplanetary species! Love you Percy🧡

[AtlasGamingk]

JPL is has always been the bleeding edge of NASA and world space exploration... 0% politics, 100% brilliance!

[hridaysardana]

Its not about the Country or Space Agency...Its about the Human Mankind.. Best wishes from 🇮🇳

[michaeljamieson]

There’s so much that could go wrong on a mission like this, I can’t even begin to think what their internal process controls must be like, the stress must be immense.

[jatinG]

It's crazy how some engineers get amazed of their own creation like they made something that they didn't expect but still made better than what they expected

[butterdog]

Congratulations on landing Perseverance

[jcims]

Quick note about Ames: "The largest wind tunnel in the world is at NASA's Ames Research Center. This subsonic tunnel, which can test planes with wing spans of up to 100 feet, is over 1, 400 feet long and 180 feet high. It has two test sections: one 80 feet high and 120 feet wide, the other 40 feet high and 80 feet wide. Air is driven through these test sections by six 15-bladed fans. *Each* *fan* *has* *a* *diameter* *equal* *to* *the* *height* *of* *a* *four-story* *building.* *The* *fans* *are* *powered* *by* *six* *22, 500-horsepower* *motors.* "

[RCnerd]

Congrats to the successful touch down on 18.02.2021!

[Sammydnh]

Well, it landed just fine yesterday so you guys obviously did your job amazingly!

[NAtzuValorant]

Who's here after perseverance landed?

[jameswilliamson]

So happy for everyone involved in this incredible achievement

[Thee_Sinner]

Yall got any non-advertisement, constant frame rate footage of that wind tunnel test?

[tarikkapetanovic]

I thought everyone at NASA wears white shirts, glasses, a black tie and a pen in the shirts pocket! I have been lied to

[blacklavoux]

U guys are insane! It’s amazing to see people work together like this just to landing a rover on another planet. Which is such a huge deal for us. Keep it up guys! U know u have the entire world’s support! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻