On Monday, NASA released the first video of the persistent rover’s arrival on Mars, a mission that attracted the world’s attention.
However, the most attentive looked at the figures on the parachute during the descent. Its arrangement was away from the typical squares or stripes that an umbrella usually has because it hides a message in its abstract drawing.
Internet users in a collaborative effort have tried to encrypt it through platforms such as Twitter x Reddit. One of the first hypotheses that were circulated proved that the hidden message is consistent with the initials of JPL (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory or “Jet Propulsion Laboratory”).
The color patterns on the Perseverance chute have "JPL" hidden in morse code! pic.twitter.com/XVJVrHR3sV
— Joey Murphy (@Spacecomm_Joey) February 22, 2021
However, Adam Nelson, one of the camera engineers in the Operations Center, revealed this theory in a virtual space on Reddit, open to questions and answers about the mission.
Two hours later, another user ventured in and suggested that the message match three words: Dare Mighty Things, Without going into detail about how he came to this conclusion, which he assumes is based on the Python programming system. This second theory was shared by many other hobbyists and even endorsed by a computer science student, who concluded the same thing.
@NASAPersevere @NASA My father and I found these three words hidden in the patterns of the lander's parachute !
— Abela_Paf (@FrenchTech_paf) February 22, 2021
The meaning of the message
“Dare Mighty Things” (“Moving great things”, in Castilian language), the hidden message that supposedly concealed the umbrella, is the slogan JPL And it has already been used, for example, with the Curiosity robot. It is a phrase widely used by NASA professionals. In addition to that, it is also a phrase that they recently used on social networks.
The moment that my team dreamed of for years, now a reality. Dare mighty things. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/8SgV53S9KG
— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 19, 2021
Users are still waiting for some confirmation from a member of NASA or an authority that can certify the latest discount. So far, Allen Chen, engineer of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and one of the protagonists of Mission Perseverance, tweeted from his account: “We are almost close” (“Close”), about the latest theory. Everything seems to indicate that netizens have come up with the correct answer .
