NASA's Perseverance rover sends first colour images of Mars

Now that’s what you call a photo finish. NASA’s Mars 2020 spacecraft has sent back a striking colour image of the Perseverance rover suspended several feet above the red planet’s surface, just as it’s about to set down its six wheels in Jezero Crater.

The image shows the rover from above as its rocket-powered descent stage carefully lowers the vehicle to the ground. It’s a stunning shot from the final seconds of a perilous journey to the red planet.

The picture was one of several shared Friday by officials at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, one day after Perseverance landed on Mars. Among the others showcased: a high-resolution image of the rocks and debris near one of the rover’s six wheels; a full-colour image of Jezero Crater with the rover’s shadow looming large; and a shot taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of the spacecraft’s descent stage plummeting through the atmosphere, with its supersonic parachute fully deployed.

One of the six wheels on the Perseverance Mars rover. The images gave the Mars 2020 team members — particularly the engineers — a palpable sense of relief that “Percy,” as the rover is affectionately known, had made the grueling journey in one piece.

Perseverance rover descends to touch down on Mars. Perseverance is bristling with 23 cameras, and it put a number of them to good use documenting its journey while navigating to a safe, flat spot in Jezero Crater, whose sharp rocks, sand dunes and steep cliffs once made it an unthinkable landing spot.

One of the first images from the Perseverance rover, with a protective cap over the camera’s lens. Many more images are on the way, officials said. Most of the rover’s cameras can take pictures in color, and many can shoot video.

An image, with a magnified inset, shows a view from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of the Perseverance rover’s descent into Jezero Crater.

The image shows NASA’s Perseverance rover as it lands on the surface of Mars.