NASA's newest Mars rover hit the dusty red road this week, putting 21 feet on the odometer in it𝄹s first test drive.
The Perseverance rover ventured from its landi🏅ng position Thursday, two weeks after land🐻ing on the red planet to seek signs of past life.
The roundabout, back and forth drive lasted just 33 minutes and went so well t♐hat the six-wheeled rover was back on☂ the move Friday.
During a neꦛws conference Friday, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, shared photos of the tire tracks over and around 👍small rocks.
"Don'ಌt think I've ever been happier to see wheel tracks and I've seen a lot of them, said engineer Anais Zarafian.
"This is just a huge milestone for ♌the miss♌ion."
As soon as the system checks on Perseverance are complete, the rover wi♏ll head for an ancient river delta to collect rocks for return to Earth a decaওde from now.
Scientists are debating whether to take the smoother route to get to the nearby delta or a possibly tougher way with intriguing remnants from that once-watery time 3 billion to 4 billio🐈n years ago.
