When Nasa landed its Mars rover Perseverance on the Martian surface, it was an Indian-American handling the controls and landing system. Swati Mohan spearheaded the attitude control and landing system of the Perseverance rover that navigated a particularly difficult touchdown. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (Nasa) Perseverance rover successfully touched down on the surface of Mars after surviving a blazing seven-minute plunge through the Martian atmosphere.