A NASA rover just conquered a treacherous climb on Mars [Video]

The Perseverance rover has reached the top of the Jezero Crater rim on Mars, a hike that rose 1,640 feet — higher than the Empire State Building is tall. 

NASA mission leaders said the rover, which had embarked on the journey 3.5 months ago, got its first look at its destination on Dec. 10. From there, the mobile lab will begin its fifth science campaign, pursuing a route dubbed “Northern Rim” that will span several years. 

On the drive up, Perseverance encountered steep, slippery slopes. Its human operators, separated by some 70 million miles in space, had to brainstorm solutions on the fly to help navigate obstacles. At one point, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory team even tried steering the rover in reverse to see if that made the trek any easier. 

“Our rover drivers have done an amazing job negotiating some of the toughest terrain we’ve encountered since landing,” said Steven …