That sentence was jubilantly proclaimed as the Perseverance rover landed on Mars today at 2:56 (CST). After a year of doom and gloom news, a ray of sunshine burst through the world with the announcement that the NASA Perseverance rover touched down on the red planet. The rover will collect samples of rocks and soil. The samples will be wrapped and be brought back to earth at a future date. The rover will also examine potential oxygen sources that could be used for breathing and fuel. A drone type helicopter along with numerous scientific equipment accompanied the Perseverance on the seven month trip to Mars. The helicopter will be used to collect information that will be helpful to future exploration of Mars.
National Geographic put together a riveting video on the role that map-making played on the relationship between Earth and Mars.
Kudos to NASA and to the project team that spent many years working on this project. Meet the Martians.