11 history-making Mars Perseverance rover moments, captured on camera

NASA's Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on 18 February 2021.

James Cutmore

Published: February 23, 2021 at 10:31 am

In the days following Perseverance's Mars touch-down, NASA's latest rover has been busy sending images back to Earth. Perseverancewill look for signs of past microbial life and provide important information that will help scientists prepare for future human exploration on the Red Planet.

Here are some of the latest images beamed back from the Martian surface

A Slow Descent

This high-resolution still image is part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. A camera aboard the descent stage captured this shot. — This high-resolution still image is part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on 18 February 2021. A camera aboard the descent stage captured this shot. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

Eagle-eyed view of Perseverance

HiRISE Captured Perseverance During Descent to Mars. The descent stage holding NASA’s Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere — The descent stage holding NASA’s Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, as captured by the HiRISE camera on board NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

A successful landing

Members of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) — Members of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover team watch in mission control as the first images arrive moments after the spacecraft successfully touched down on Mars, Thursday, 18 February 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

Six wheels on my wagon

This high-resolution image shows one of the six wheels aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, which landed on Feb. 18, 2021. The image was taken by one of Perseverance’s color Hazard Cameras (Hazcams). — This high-resolution image shows one of the six wheels aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, which landed on 18 February 2021. The image was taken by one of Perseverance’s colour Hazard Cameras (Hazcams). - NASA/JPL-Caltech

Crystal clear Mars

This is the first high-resolution, color image to be sent back by the Hazard Cameras (Hazcams) on the underside of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on Feb. 18, 2021. — This is the first high-resolution, colour image to be sent back by the Hazard Cameras (Hazcams) on the underside of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover after its landing on 18 February 2021. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

Check out some of our other image galleries:

Team Perseverance

PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 19: In this handout image provided by NASA, An image showing the descent stage holding NASAs Perseverance rover can be seen falling through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind, in this image taken on Feb. 18, 2021, by the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is shown during a NASA Perseverance rover initial surface checkout briefing, Friday Feb. 19, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The ancient river delta, which is the target of the Perseverance mission, can be seen entering Jezero Crater from the left. A key objective for Perseverances mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planets geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) — In this handout image provided by NASA, an image shows the descent stage of the Perseverance rover as it falls through the Martian atmosphere, its parachute trailing behind. The image was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. An ancient river delta, which is the target of the Perseverance mission, can be seen entering Jezero Crater from the left. - Getty Images/NASA

The landing site

The landing ellipse, measuring 4.8 miles by 4.1 miles (7.7 kilometers by 6.6 kilometers), places the rover at the site of an ancient river delta which could harbor signs of fossilized microbial life. The fan-like shape of the delta is visible in this image, as is the crater rim. The crater was once filled with a lake several hundred feet deep. — The landing ellipse, measuring 7.7 kilometres by 6.6 kilometres, (4.8 miles by 4.1 miles) , places the rover at the site of an ancient river delta which could harbour signs of fossilised microbial life. The fan-like shape of the delta is visible in this image, as is the crater rim. The crater was once filled with a lake several hundred feet deep. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

A model mission

PASADENA, CA - FEBRUARY 19: In this handout image provided by NASA, Mars 2020 Strategic Mission Manager Pauline Hwang, gives remarks during a NASA Perseverance rover initial surface checkout briefing, Friday Feb. 19, 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The Perseverance Mars rover landed on Mars Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. A key objective for Perseverances mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planets geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith. (Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) — Strategic Mission Manager Pauline Hwang, gives remarks during a NASA Perseverance rover initial surface checkout briefing, Friday 19 February 2021, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. - NASA/Getty Images

Panoramic vision of Mars

Panorama, taken on Feb. 20, 2021, by the Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover — Panorama, taken on 20 February 2021, by the Navigation Cameras (or Navcams) aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover - NASA/JPL-Caltech

Satellite Navigation as standard

The Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this view of the rover’s deck on 20 February 2021. — The Navigation Cameras, or Navcams, aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover captured this view of the rover’s deck on 20 February 2021. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

View from the Mastcam

Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. — Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. - NASA/JPL-Caltech

For the latest information about NASA's Mars mission, check out the Perseverance homepage here.

Picture Editor, BBC Science Focus

James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.