NASA's Mars Perseverance rover is on the cusp of landing on Mars, the Red Planet after a seven-month journey. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California confirmed that the spacecraft is expected to land in Jezero Crater on Feb 18, 2021, at around 3.55 pm. EST(12.55 pm. PST). 

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, “Perseverance is NASA’s most ambitious Mars rover mission yet, focused scientifically on finding out whether there was ever any life on Mars in the past,”.

Jennifer Trosper, deputy project manager for the mission at JPL said, “No Mars landing is guaranteed, but we have been preparing a decade to put this rover’s wheels down on the surface of Mars and get to work.”

Meanwhile, NASA is engaged in research into sending humans into space. NASA has announced a competition to find out the diet of astronauts currently sent to Mars and its technology. 3.6 crore worth of Indian prizes will be awarded to those who take part in the competition and invent food and technology for astronauts to eat. NASA has also announced that they will be used to cook food for astronauts going to Mars.