U.S.CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Perseverance's record drive, and how it first got there

The Times says advances in self-driving technology are why the rover can cover more ground than ever; NASA's own footage shows it arrived by parachute.

On air: Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on Late Night BBN
Published 11:42 PM ET, Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Updated 6:24 AM ET · aired 7 times

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

▶ Short · U.S.

The Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb.

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Perseverance (rover) — Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Footage: NASA JPL · Public domain (NASA) · NASA

Watch the segment

Viral Video Breakdown“I care about the parking. Nobody tells you the hard part of driving anywhere is the landing, and this one nailed it.”Vera Bullock▶ Full · 0:47Perseverance Mars Driving Record: Judged on Its ParkingViral Video Breakdown · 6:24 AM ET

At a glance

First reported by The New York Times: “NASA’s Perseverance Rover Sets a Mars Driving Record”.
Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 11:42 PM ET on Late Night BBN, by Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman; aired 7 times.
Topics: Mars.
BBN covered this story before: Roman Temple to Mars Unearthed Beneath Forest Floor (October 10).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The New York TimesNASA’s Perseverance Rover Sets a Mars Driving Record

What BBN said about it

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe New York Times reports Perseverance has set a Mars driving record, thanks to self-driving technology that makes crossing distant worlds easier.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorRoll it, because this is NASA's own footage of how the thing got there, and I have questions about its licence.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorLook at this, the parachute deploys, and the rover hangs underneath it like a very expensive chandelier.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorHere it comes. The surface, then the dust, a huge cloud of it, right at the landing site.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd there it rests, perfectly fine on the Martian terrain.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorPerfectly fine. So the best driver on Mars arrived by falling out of the sky.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorEvery great driver starts with a rough first parking job.

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