The Perseverance rover is on a mission to find evidence of life on Mars. Evidence of Earthlings was found along the way.
The space agency posted an image of two objects that the rover passed by: a parachute and a metal capsule. Both played important roles in helping the exploration rover land on Mars.
NASA said from the Perseverance rover's account that it wouldn't be where it is without them.
There are objects in the middle of the picture. On the left is the collapsed orange and white parachute, and on the right is the shell that housed the rover as it plunged through the atmosphere of Mars in February 2021.
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The landing of the rover on Mars was dubbed seven minutes of terror because of the supersonic parachute deployment. It no longer had a heavy heat shield. Before choosing a safe landing spot, it abandoned the parachute, and then a rocket-powered apparatus fired up and hovered in the air, as it lowered the rover down to the ground. Everything must work swimmingly.
The rover is on its way to a dried-up delta in Jezero Crater, a place planetary scientists believe once hosted a lake.
One of the best places on Mars for the rover to look for signs of past life is the delta.
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