NASA’s Mars rover “Perseverance” is expected to touch down on the red planet this afternoon to look for ancient microbial alien life.
The rover has traveled 300 million miles in seven months and will touch down on an ancient lake called Jezero, a site where ancient life may have been best preserved.
Hey @RichmondHillMS #RHMSSTEMCATS Today is the day! The Perseverance Mars rover will land on Mars today at 3:55 EST. The live stream starts at 2:15 EST. Check out more information about Perseverance and its mission, including the drone it brought with it!https://t.co/OlbeVHb3Sf pic.twitter.com/abWR4ZOOPY
— Brian Soash (@BSoash) February 18, 2021
The mission behind the $2.7 billion landing is to collect rock samples and bring them back to Earth to look for signs of microbial life.
The rover is also equipped with a drone.
The Perseverance Mars rover will land on Mars today at 3:55 EST. The live stream starts at 2:15 EST.
The cargo onboard the rover includes silicon chips containing 10.9-million names from the “Send Your Name To Mars” campaign, along with essays from 155 contest winners.
There’s also a plaque paying tribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
A camera on board called the Mastcam-Z comes with a message about the joys of discovery in various languages.
Also on board is a special coin made of helmet visor material and a piece of Martian meteorite, making its way back home after a very long round-trip.
Watch the rover landing live here.