U.S. Rep, Don Beyer of Northern Virginia, just named chair of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, hailed NASA’s successful landing of it Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover in the Jezero Crater on Thursday, completing a seven-month journey to the Martian surface.

Perseverance’s main objective while on Mars is to search for evidence of ancient life and collect geological samples that are expected to be transported to Earth in subsequent NASA missions.

Attached to Perseverance is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will be used to attempt the first controlled flight on another planet. Perseverance is NASA’s fifth Mars rover and the agency’s ninth Mars landing.

“Today years of scientific engineering and hard work are culminating in the landing of the Mars Perseverance Rover, an extraordinary achievement,” said Beyer. “Congratulations to the women and men who made this happen – your work is inspiring younger generations in STEM and you should be proud of a job well done. This is an incredible accomplishment for the human race, and I can’t wait to see the first aircraft flight over another planet learn more about the findings from the rover.”