Humans had never seen a spacecraft land on another planet—until now

Panoramic image of Mars taken by Perseverance on February 20, 2021. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Never before, in all of our millions of years, have humans directly observed a spacecraft landing on another planet. Until now.

On Monday, NASA released a video (embedded below) that included several viewpoints from the descent of Mars Perseverance to the surface of the red planet last week. A camera on the back shell captured a view of the parachute deploying, and cameras on the descent stage and rover itself captured the final seconds of the landing.

“I can, and have, watched those videos for hours,” said NASA’s Al Chen, the lead for the entry, descent, and landing for Perseverance. “I find new stuff every time. I invite you to do so as well.”