NASA's Perseverance rover is set reach Mars on Thursday, February 18, 2021. The entry, descent, and landing phase of the mission is referred to as "seven minutes of terror" because the sequences are complex and the rover is essentially on its own after it receives the signal from NASA to descend. The spacecraft will drop at 12,000 miles per hour through the Martian atmosphere where it will endure temperatures up to 2,370 degrees Fahrenheit. It must then slow down to 1.7 miles per hour to allow the sky crane to lower it into position. Once safely on the surface of Mars Perseverance will begin its two-year mission to search for signs of ancient microbial life.