There was a message encoded in the parachute above the Perseverance rover
NASA has a history of doing interesting and unexpected things when it comes to its space missions. Recently, NASA successfully placed the Perseverance rover onto the surface of Mars. One of the most dangerous parts of its entire journey was the descent through the Martian atmosphere to the Red Planet's surface.
One of the exciting things that NASA did with the Perseverance landing is something that many people probably didn't even realize. When the large red and white parachute opened above the rover as it plummeted through the atmosphere of Mars, there was a message encoded in the colors.
A short video has been posted to Reddit that decodes the message and shows how it was encoded. The intermixed red and white colors in their circular form equated to the message "Dare Mighty Things." NASA has certainly dared mighty things over the decades, putting the first humans on the moon and exploring the universe.
Anyone interested in Mars and space exploration should check out the video NASA shared previously showing the Perseverance rover landing on Mars. That's also more recently shared a video that included a panoramic image taken by the rover and sounds from the planet's surface. The video is probably the first time many people have ever heard what it sounds like on the surface of another world.
It looks like the internet has cracked the code in something like 6 hours! Oh internet is there anything you can't do? For those who just want to know: #Mars2020 #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/yTJCEnbuLY
— Adam Steltzner (@steltzner) February 23, 2021
NASA is also preparing to do something very interesting with the Ingenuity helicopter. NASA intends to try controlled flight on the surface of another planet for the first time. Ingenuity is currently still attached to the Perseverance rover but will be deployed in the days and weeks to come. If NASA is successful in flying Ingenuity, it will change the future of exploring Mars.