Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
On February 18, 2021, the NASA Mars rover Perseverance lands on Mars. Slowing from the interplanetary velocity of 20,000 kph to just 2 — yes, 2 — upon landing is not easy. This video shows how it rams through the atmosphere, then uses a parachute, and finally a rocket-powered sky crane to descend to the surface.
The mission is to look for signs of ancient life on Mars, searching in a crater called Jezero which was once a lake filled with water. It will collect samples for a future mission to send to Earth. It also carries a small helicopter which will test technology for future drone missions to Mars, too!
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Original video: mars.nasa.gov/resources/25583/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-landing-in-most-difficult-site-ever-attempted
On February 18, 2021, the NASA Mars rover Perseverance lands on Mars. Slowing from the interplanetary velocity of 20,000 kph to just 2 — yes, 2 — upon landing is not easy. This video shows how it rams through the atmosphere, then uses a parachute, and finally a rocket-powered sky crane to descend to the surface.
The mission is to look for signs of ancient life on Mars, searching in a crater called Jezero which was once a lake filled with water. It will collect samples for a future mission to send to Earth. It also carries a small helicopter which will test technology for future drone missions to Mars, too!
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Original video: mars.nasa.gov/resources/25583/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-landing-in-most-difficult-site-ever-attempted
