Skip to main content

Revealed! The secret message on Perseverance rover’s Mars parachute

The parachute that helped carry NASA’s Perseverance rover to the surface of Mars last week featured a hidden message. And space fans have managed to decode it.

During a press conference earlier this week, NASA released breathtaking footage of its spacecraft carrying the car-sized rover toward the Martian surface.

Upward-facing cameras on the spacecraft’s descent stage showed the deployment of the parachute, which at first glance appeared to display nothing more than a simple red and white design.

But during Monday’s news briefing, Allen Chen — the entry, descent, and landing lead for the mission — confirmed that there was actually a hidden message in the pattern, and challenged space fans to work out what it said.

NASA

Chen said space scientists are always keen to inspire others to enter the field, adding, “[For that purpose] we sometimes leave messages in our work for others to find … so we invite you all to give it a shot and show your work.”

It wasn’t long before enthusiastic codebreakers started posting the answer online. It turns out the message was written in binary computer code, with the pattern translating as, “Dare mighty things.”

Adam Steltzner, chief engineer for the mission, later tweeted an image confirming the answer.

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

An AP report noted that “Dare mighty things” was a phrase used by President Theodore Roosevelt. The motto has since been adopted by the Perseverance mission team based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California.

You’ll also notice some numbers on the parachute. These are GPS coordinates, which, if you look them up, take you to a spot close to the entrance of JPL’s visitor center.

There was actually a good reason to use a pattern as it helped the team to see how the parachute positioned itself during descent, thereby providing important data for future Mars missions. But instead of having markings devoid of meaning, the team thought it would be a great chance to have a bit of fun by creating a hidden message for codebreakers to decipher.

Chen said he believes that Perseverance itself may be carrying a few hidden treats for those who enjoy searching for so-called Easter eggs, but insisted that even he doesn’t know what they are. So, keep your eyes peeled …

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA’s Mars copter flew high, fast, far, and long. Here are the key stats
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter.

An artist's impression of the Ingenuity helicopter in flight over Mars. NASA/JPL-Caltech / NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, is grounded for good. But it achieved a lot during its almost three-year adventure on the red planet.

Read more
NASA video celebrates Mars helicopter following its final flight
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter is seen here in a close-up taken by Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard the Perseverance rover. This image was taken on April 5, the 45th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

Legacy of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

NASA’s record-setting Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, has taken its final flight, the space agency confirmed on Thursday.

Read more
NASA says goodbye to Mars helicopter Ingenuity after an incredible 72 flights
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter unlocked its rotor blades, allowing them to spin freely, on April 7, 2021, the 47th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

It's a sad day for space fans, as the plucky little helicopter Ingenuity has finally come to the end of its mission on Mars. The helicopter will not be making anymore flights due to damage to one of its rotors that occurred during a recent landing, NASA said in an announcement on Thursday, January 25.

The mission was originally planned to make just five flights and to last 30 days, but has been successful beyond what anyone had imagined. The helicopter has made a total of 72 flights over the course of its three-year mission, which began when it was set down on the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover. The rover arrived on Mars with the helicopter tucked up underneath its belly in February 2021, and Ingenuity sat on the surface for the first time in April 2021. It then made history by becoming the first rotorcraft to fly on another planet with its maiden flight.

Read more