Martian Easter Eggs

Scientists and engineers are nerds who like to have a bit of fun—even when it comes to their spacecraft. Let’s take a look at some of the Easter Eggs they’ve put aboard the rovers and landers on Mars:

The Code in the Parachute

Actual footage from the Perseverance rover looking up at its parachute as it was landing on Mars in February 2021. You can view the entire descent video here. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Perhaps the most famous Easter egg recently was hidden in the landing parachute for NASA’s Perseverance rover. At first glance, you might not think anything of…