NASA’s Perseverance Rover Touches Down on Mars
Good news! NASA’s car-sized rover, Perseverance, made it’s much anticipated landing on the Red Planet on Thursday. The $2.7 billion robot will explore Mars with a host of scientific equipment on board, in an attempt to determine whether or not the planet ever harbored life. Using cameras, lasers, and sensors the rover will analyze the planet to check for the remains or signatures of ancient microbial life. The rover is also equipped with a never-before-used drone that will launch from a hub on the robot and return with data from the Martian atmosphere.
The exploration site for Perseverance is a 30 mile wide crater known as Jezero. The crater was once home to a large lake that could have hosted various life forms. Perseverance will be able to identify if there is any evidence of ancient microbes or complex carbon based molecules in the soil.
Source: NY Times
