Perseverance Rover’s Descent and Touchdown on Mars (Official NASA Video)

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance mission captured thrilling footage of its rover landing in Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. The real footage in this video was captured by several cameras that are part of the rover's entry, descent, and landing suite. The views include a camera looking down from the spacecraft's descent stage (a kind of rocket-powered jet pack that helps fly the rover to its landing site), a camera on the rover looking up at the descent stage, a camera on the top of the aeroshell (a capsule protecting the rover) looking up at that parachute, and a camera on the bottom of the rover looking down at the Martian surface.

The audio embedded in the video comes from the mission control call-outs during entry, descent, and landing.

For more information about Perseverance, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/perseverance

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Transcript:
0:00
We are starting the straighten up and fly right maneuver,
0:03
where the spacecraft will jettison the entry balance masses in preparation for
0:07
parachute deploy and to roll over to give the radar a better look at the ground.
0:14
[inaudible] indicates chute deploy. The navigation has confirmed that the parachute has deployed and
0:20
we are seeing significant deceleration in the velocity. Our current velocity is 450
0:26
meters per second at an altitude of about 12 kilometers from the surface of Mars.
0:33
Heat shield sep. Perseverance has now slowed to subsonic speeds and the heat shield has been
0:38
separated. This allows both the radar and the cameras to get their first look at the surface.
0:44
Current velocity is 145 meters per second and an altitude of about
0:48
10 kilometers - nine and a half kilometers above the surface.
1:07
Nav filter converge lastly solution 3.3 meters per second, altitude 7.4 kilometers. Nav has
1:14
radar lock on the ground. Current velocity is about 100 meters per second, 6.6 kilometers off
1:20
the surface of Mars. Perseverance is continuing to descend on the parachute. We are coming up on the
1:31
initialization of terrain relative navigation and subsequently the priming of the landing
1:36
engines. Our current velocity is about 90 meters per second at an altitude of 4.2 kilometers.
1:47
LVS valid. We have confirmation that the lander vision system has produced a valid solution
1:52
and part of terrain relative navigation. Priming
1:56
pba is nominal. We have priming of the landing engines.
2:06
Back shell sep. Current velocity is 83 meters per second at about 2.6 kilometers from the
2:12
surface of Mars. We have confirmation that the back shell has separated.
2:16
We are currently performing the divert maneuver. Current velocity is about 75 meters per second
2:21
at an altitude of about a kilometer off the surface of Mars. TRN safety bravo.
2:28
We have completed our terrain relative navigation. Current speed is about 30
2:34
meters per second, altitude of about 300 meters off the surface of Mars.
2:41
We have started our constant velocity accordion which means we are
2:45
conducting the skycrane - about to conduct the skycrane maneuver.
2:52
Skycrane maneuver has started.
2:56
About 20 meters off the surface, we're getting signals from MRO.
3:07
Tango delta. Touchdown confirmed. Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars,
3:14
ready to begin seeking the signs of past life.