NASA's Perseverance rover has traveled the distance of a marathon on Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover has covered 26.2 miles on Mars since landing five years ago, matching a marathon distance.
NASA announced this week that its Perseverance rover has officially completed a marathon on Mars, having traveled a total of 26.2 miles since it landed on the Red Planet five years ago. Given its maximum speed of 0.1 mph under optimal conditions, this is a remarkable achievement. The rover crossed the marathon mark on June 14, according to NASA.
Perseverance is only the second explorer to cover a marathon distance on another world, following NASA's Opportunity rover, which accomplished the feat in 2015. In comparison, Opportunity took 11 years and two months to travel that far. The Curiosity rover, which has been on Mars since 2012, has driven just over 23 miles.
Perseverance reached the milestone while exploring intriguing ancient terrain west of Jezero Crater. There, the robotic geologist discovered remnants of an ancient lake and possible signs of ancient life. The rover recently transmitted images from its western excursion, including a selfie.
