Touchdown: NASA rover ready to search for life on Mars It sent back first black and white images SAMAA | AFP - Posted: Feb 19, 2021 | Last Updated: 2 months ago SAMAA | AFP Posted: Feb 19, 2021 | Last Updated: 2 months ago Listen to the story After seven months in space, NASA's Perseverance rover overcame a tense landing phase with a series of perfectly executed maneuvers to gently float down to the Martian soil Thursday and embark on its mission to search for signs of past life. "Touchdown confirmed," said operations lead Swati Mohan at 3:55 pm Eastern Time (2055 GMT), as mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena erupted in cheers.