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NASA braces for ‘7 minutes of terror’ as rover, rocket crane near Mars
NASA’s most ambitious – and difficult – Mars rover mission to date is nearly at the end of its interplanetary journey, but it is just the beginning of the excitement. On Tuesday (Feb. 16) engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) confirmed that Perseverance is doing well and is prepared to attempt a touchdown at about 12:55 p.m. PST (3:55 p.m. EST) on Thursday (Feb. 18).
NASA’s fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, will attempt a tried and true, but terrifying landing method to reach the Martain surface safely. In a process called entry, descent, and landing (EDL) the rover will burst through the Martian atmosphere at 12,500mph (20,000 kph) and slow to just under 2mph (3kph) in about seven minutes – a process which has earned the nickname “seven minutes of terror.”
From interplanetary spacecraft to Martian rover in seven minutes
For the past seven months, Perseverance has traveled 300 million miles (480 million kilometers) as an interplanetary spacecraft. When it reaches its final destination of Mars on Feb. 18, the spacecraft will have to shed some layers to prepare to land on the Martian surface. Perhaps the most challenging part of the seven minutes of terror is that Perseverance will conduct every aspect autonomously – engineers back on Earth will not be able to intervene due to the communications time delay caused by the distance between Earth and Mars.
During the first stage of landing known as entry, Perseverance will slam into the relatively thin Martian atmosphere at the neck-break speed of 12,500mph (20,000 kph). At approximately 12:38 p.m. PST (3:38 p.m. EST), 10 minutes prior to entering the Martian atmosphere, the Cruise Stage which has reliably propelled Perseverance on its journey from Earth via solar power will separate. This will initiate the official transition from spacecraft into rover.
To protect the rover and its critical hardware Perseverance is housed inside of a protective covering – called an aeroshell – and is outfitted with a robust heat shield. Small thrusters at the crown of the aeroshell help to reorient itself and ensure that the heat shield is facing in the right direction as it enters the atmosphere. The aeroshell and heatshield will absorb and deflect the brunt of the heat energy – reaching about 2,370 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1,300 degrees Celsius) – caused by the friction of entering the Martian atmosphere at such a high velocity.
Once through peak heating and deceleration, Perseverance will utilize a new technology called Range Trigger to determine its exact location and distance to the surface. The spacecraft will utilize this technology to autonomously determine the optimal time to deploy its supersonic parachute – the largest ever sent to Mars – and separate its heat shield. This is expected to occur at 12:52 p.m. PST (3:52 p.m. EST). Once the heat shield has separated the powered descent stage – and the Perseverance rover itself – will be exposed to the Martian environment.
Although a similar descent method has been used in the past with the landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2012, Perseverance’s way of doing things has received a major upgrade.
Once the heat shield has been dispersed, Perseverance will use a radar and cameras to utilize a new landing technology called Terrain-Relative Navigation. Essentially, Perseverance will continuously take images to map out the Martian surface as it descends to determine its exact location. The spacecraft will actively decide and target the best possible safe landing site which can be autonomously changed up to 2,000 feet (600 meters). Then the aeroshell and parachute are jettisoned and it’s the powered descent module’s time to shine.
Using rockets to land, rather than to launch
Just two minutes after ditching the heat shield, at 12:54 p.m. PST (3:54 p.m. EST) and only 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers) above the surface, the powered descent stage will fire eight throttleable retrorockets to slow the spacecraft’s descent even more and steer it to its chosen landing target. During the powered descent phase, the spacecraft will slow from about 190 mph (306 kph) to just 1.7 mph (2.7 kph).
Once the spacecraft determines that it is 65 feet (20 meters) from the surface by utilizing the Terrain-Relative Navigation, the powered descent stage will initiate the sky crane maneuver. In this phase, the Perseverance rover will be delicately lowered to the Martian surface with a system of Nylon cords.
At 12:55 p.m. PST (3:55 p.m. EST) the $2.4 billion NASA Mars 2020 mission will officially touchdown on the surface of Mars in the Jezero Crater. Once safely down, the sky crane will severe the cords and fly off for a crash landing at a safe distance away from the rover.
During the landing attempt, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be overhead and constantly sending telemetry back to Earth via NASA’s Deep Space Network. The telemetry will indicate to engineers back at NASA JPL if the landing procedure was successful and will confirm a touchdown at 12:55 p.m. PST (3:55 p.m. EST).
This will be the first time that a NASA Mars rover will be landing with its eyes open, so to speak. NASA hopes that the first images – and sounds – of the Martian landing will be available to release to the public within about an hour of confirmed touchdown.
Beginning around 11:15 am PST (19:15 UTC) on Thursday, February 18th, NASA will provide live coverage of Perseverance’s landing attempt. The agency will carry the coverage on NASA TV and its website, as well as a number of other platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion, Theta.TV, and the NASA app. You can view the entry, descent, and landing process in its entirety in the video below provided by NASA’s JPL.
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Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions are not dead, they’re still in the works
For what it’s worth, as a Tesla owner, I don’t particularly see the need for CarPlay, as I have found the in-car system that the company has developed to be superior. However, many people are in love with CarPlay simply because, when it’s in a car that is capable, it is really great.
Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions appeared to be dead in the water after a large amount of speculation late last year that the company would add the user interface seemed to cool down after several weeks of reports.
However, it appears that CarPlay might make its way to Tesla vehicles after all, as a recent report seems to indicate that it is still being worked on by software teams for the company.
The real question is whether it is truly needed or if it is just a want by so many owners that Tesla is listening and deciding to proceed with its development.
Back in November, Bloomberg reported that Tesla was in the process of testing Apple CarPlay within its vehicles, which was a major development considering the company had resisted adopting UIs outside of its own for many years.
Nearly one-third of car buyers considered the lack of CarPlay as a deal-breaker when buying their cars, a study from McKinsey & Co. outlined. This could be a driving decision in Tesla’s inability to abandon the development of CarPlay in its vehicles, especially as it lost a major advantage that appealed to consumers last year: the $7,500 EV tax credit.
Tesla owners propose interesting theory about Apple CarPlay and EV tax credit
Although we saw little to no movement on it since the November speculation, Tesla is now reportedly in the process of still developing the user interface. Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg writer with a weekly newsletter, stated that CarPlay is “still in the works” at Tesla and that more concrete information will be available “soon” regarding its development.
While Tesla already has a very capable and widely accepted user interface, CarPlay would still be an advantage, considering many people have used it in their vehicles for years. Just like smartphones, many people get comfortable with an operating system or style and are resistant to using a new one. This could be a big reason for Tesla attempting to get it in their own cars.
Tesla gets updated “Apple CarPlay” hack that can work on new models
For what it’s worth, as a Tesla owner, I don’t particularly see the need for CarPlay, as I have found the in-car system that the company has developed to be superior. However, many people are in love with CarPlay simply because, when it’s in a car that is capable, it is really great.
It holds one distinct advantage over Tesla’s UI in my opinion, and that’s the ability to read and respond to text messages, which is something that is available within a Tesla, but is not as user-friendly.
With that being said, I would still give CarPlay a shot in my Tesla. I didn’t particularly enjoy it in my Bronco Sport, but that was because Ford’s software was a bit laggy with it. If it were as smooth as Tesla’s UI, which I think it would be, it could be a really great addition to the vehicle.
With the launch of a new trim level for the Model Y last night, something almost went unnoticed — the loss of a moniker that Tesla just recently added to a couple of its variants of the all-electric crossover.
Tesla launched the Model Y All-Wheel-Drive last night, competitively priced at $41,990, but void of the luxurious features that are available within the Premium trims.
Upon examination of the car, one thing was missing, and it was noticeable: Tesla dropped the use of the “Standard” moniker to identify its entry-level offerings of the Model Y.
The Standard Model Y vehicles were introduced late last year, primarily to lower the entry price after the U.S. EV tax credit changes were made. Tesla stripped some features like the panoramic glass roof, premium audio, ambient lighting, acoustic-lined glass, and some of the storage.
Last night, it simply switched the configurations away from “Standard” and simply as the Model Y Rear-Wheel-Drive and Model Y All-Wheel-Drive.
There are three plausible reasons for this move, and while it is minor, there must be an answer for why Tesla chose to abandon the name, yet keep the “Premium” in its upper-level offerings.
“Standard” carried a negative connotation in marketing
Words like “Standard” can subtly imply “basic,” “bare-bones,” or “cheap” to consumers, especially when directly contrasted with “Premium” on the configurator or website. Dropping it avoids making the entry-level Model Y feel inferior or low-end, even though it’s designed for affordability.
Tesla likely wanted the base trim to sound neutral and spec-focused (e.g., just “RWD” highlights drivetrain rather than feature level), while “Premium” continues to signal desirable upgrades, encouraging upsells to higher-margin variants.
Simplifying the overall naming structure for less confusion
The initial “Standard vs. Premium” split (plus Performance) created a somewhat clunky hierarchy, especially as Tesla added more variants like Standard Long Range in some markets or the new AWD base.
Removing “Standard” streamlines things to a more straightforward progression (RWD → AWD → Premium RWD/AWD → Performance), making the lineup easier to understand at a glance. This aligns with Tesla’s history of iterative naming tweaks to reduce buyer hesitation.
Elevating brand perception and protecting perceived value
Keeping “Premium” reinforces that the bulk of the Model Y lineup (especially the popular Long Range models) remains a premium product with desirable features like better noise insulation, upgraded interiors, and tech.
Eliminating “Standard” prevents any dilution of the Tesla brand’s upscale image—particularly important in a competitive EV market—while the entry-level variants can quietly exist as accessible “RWD/AWD” options without drawing attention to them being decontented versions.
You can check out the differences between the “Standard” and “Premium” Model Y vehicles below:
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
Elon Musk
Tesla bull sees odds rising of Tesla merger after Musk confirms SpaceX-xAI deal
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing chance Tesla could be merged in some form with SpaceX and xAI over the next 12 to 18 months.
A prominent Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) bull has stated that the odds are rising that Tesla could eventually merge with SpaceX and xAI, following Elon Musk’s confirmation that the private space company has combined with his artificial intelligence startup.
Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities wrote on Tuesday that there is a growing chance Tesla could be merged in some form with SpaceX and xAI over the next 12 to 18 months.
“In our view there is a growing chance that Tesla will eventually be merged in some form into SpaceX/xAI over time. The view is this growing AI ecosystem will focus on Space and Earth together…..and Musk will look to combine forces,” Ives wrote in a post on X.
Ives’ comments followed confirmation from Elon Musk late Monday that SpaceX has merged with xAI. Musk stated that the merger creates a vertically integrated platform that combines AI, rockets, satellite internet, communications, and real-time data.
In a post on SpaceX’s official website, Elon Musk added that the combined company is aimed at enabling space-based AI compute, stating that within two to three years, space could become the lowest-cost environment for generating AI processing power. The transaction reportedly values the combined SpaceX-xAI entity at roughly $1.25 trillion.
Tesla, for its part, has already increased its exposure to xAI, announcing a $2 billion investment in the startup last week in its Q4 and FY 2025 update letter.
While merger speculation has intensified, notable complications could emerge if SpaceX/xAI does merge with Tesla, as noted in a report from Investors Business Daily.
SpaceX holds major U.S. government contracts, including with the Department of Defense and NASA, and xAI’s Grok is being used by the U.S. Department of War. Tesla, for its part, maintains extensive operations in China through Gigafactory Shanghai and its Megapack facility.
Tesla’s Apple CarPlay ambitions are not dead, they’re still in the works
Tesla brings closure to Model Y moniker with launch of new trim level
