Cheyenne, OK- Today, Ranking Member Frank Lucas of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology released the following statement on the successful landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars. Perseverance marks the United States’ sixth successful rover landing on Mars. Following today’s landing, the Rover will begin its scientific mission on the Martian surface, which is critical to paving the way for eventual human exploration.

Watch Ranking Member Lucas’ remarks here.

“Congratulations to NASA for today’s successful landing of Perseverance. Seven months ago, we launched this Rover full of hope and excitement. Today we sat through the famous seven minutes of terror as Perseverance fell through the atmosphere, slowing down so it could safely land. It’s a tense time, and it reminds us that we can’t take the success of these missions for granted. And It’s all due to the hard work and talent of JPL, NASA, and the Department of Energy.

Designing the Rover and all of its components, launching it to Mars, and powering the journey there is an incredible achievement. Now we can begin the exciting research perseverance was designed for. It will study Mars so we can learn more about how to plan human missions in the future. It will search for signs of past life, which could lead to tremendous discoveries. It will be the first rover to prepare soil samples for a potential return to Earth. The missions will demonstrate new technologies which will enable human exploration of Mars one day. One of these demonstrations is Ingenuity, a helicopter aboard Perseverance, which will carry out the first powered flight on another planet. So today’s landing is the end of a journey, but just the beginning of an exciting mission.

I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this achievement, and as the Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee I pledge to you that we will continue to persevere on our mission to explore the universe.”

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