On May 19, Chinas National Space Administration issued the first images the rover had taken on Mars.
Its also terrifyingly true.
Three things makeMars landings difficult the planets gravity, Mars atmosphere and our distance from the red planet.
Mars is less massive than Earth, but its atmosphere is also perilously thin.
Earths atmosphere is thicker than that of Mars and that allows craft to glide gently down to the surface.
Trying to use retrorockets would subject a lander to so much turbulence that the craft could be ripped apart.
From entry to landing takes about seven minutes.
If it doesnt, a crash landing could quite literally shatter thousands of hopes and dreams.
Its a nerve-racking experience which is why its been dubbed the seven minutes of terror.
The rover Mars 3 landed on Mars, which worked for two minutes.
Image via NASA
It wasnt until 1971 that an artificial satellite landed on Mars.
The Soviet Union launched its Mars 2 probe, consisting of an orbiter and a descent module.
Mars 6 crash landed, while Mars 7 didnt land at all.
It was only in 1976 that the US sent anything to Mars.
Viking 1 and Viking 2 both landed successfully on Mars, becoming the first two operational landers.
The 1980s saw the Soviet Unions two Phobos missions, both of which failed because of computer issues.
The 1990s werent particularly good for Mars landings, either.
Russias Mars 96 failed during launch.
Happily, Nasas Sojourner rover touched down in 1996, becoming the first Martian rover success story.
Unfortunately, Americas Mars Polar Lander failed just before touching down on the planet in 1999.
First panoramic view by Viking 1 from the surface of Mars, 1976.
Image via NASA
The 2000s didnt start out much better.
Fortunately they improved, with the successful landings of Spirit andOpportunity in 2004and Phoenix in 2008.
The 2010s also started well, withthe Curiosity rovertouching down in 2012.
Sadly Schiaparelli, the European-Russian lander,was lost in 2016.
Now, five years later, the perfect landings ofPerseveranceandZhurongare a bright start to the new decade.
Landing might never be routine, but we learn more and more each time.
