There's always some sort of Western New York connection: technology produced right here in our area helped get the U.S. back on Mars.

What You Need To Know

  • A piece of Western New York is on Mars
  • Moog products helped ensure the successful landing of NASA's Perseverance Rover on Thursday afternoon
  • It took about seven months for the rover to land on the red planet
​​

"It's another step in mankind's evolution in space exploration,” said Steve McDonald, a Moog propulsion engineering manager.

On Thursday afternoon, NASA's Perseverance rover safely landed on Mars. It took about seven months for it to get to the red planet. It was a mission that was aided by Moog, which is headquartered in Western New York. 

"Your friends and your neighbors are actually building hardware that's actually going to go Mars," said Steve Witkowski, a Moog space electronics market manager.

Last July when the mission launched, Moog actuators steered the launch vehicle out of Earth's atmosphere and their rocket engines were also used to steer the spacecraft throughout the 350-million-mile journey. 

"We also build thrusters and propulsion systems that go on the spacecraft that take the rover to Mars and help to stop it and orient it, and then during the seven minutes of terror our hardware is actually controlling the thrusters that bring the spacecraft down to the surface,” Witkowski said.

With the rover now on Mars, Moog plays a key role in helping it collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future. 

"We have flow control valves on the rover arm that basically help the rover's drill basically stay free and clear of dust and debris so that it can help at gathering samples," said McDonald.

The rover is designed to better understand the geology of the planet and aims to seek signs of ancient life. It's expected to be on the red planet for at least one Mars year, which is equivalent to nearly two years here on Earth. As the mission continues to play out millions of miles away, Moog officials are pleased to know Western New York had a hand in this. 

"We employ thousands of people worldwide but we have a real strong base of folks that work and live natively in Western New York and work at our corporate facilities. It's just a testament to them,” said McDonald.