NASA Launches Perseverance Rover to Mars

Genesis: Pathways to Success is following the exciting journey of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. On July 30th, the space rover launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 7:50 am (EDT). NASA launched this mission as part of its Mars Exploration Program to explore for potential life on Mars, including signs of past microbial life. The Perseverance Rover has many features that allow for key research, which will help give light to a future of human expedition on Mars. This advanced technology includes a drill that can collect core samples of rock, and has a testing method for producing oxygen. The Perseverance Rover is expected to land on Mars on February 18, 2021 in the Jezero Crater that has a diameter of about 30.4 miles. The Jezero Crater is thought to be formed from a water deposit, and will provide researchers with valuable information from the rich soil. We are eager to see the success that the Perseverance Rover accomplishes throughout this expedition, and invite you to track its progress with us. NASA has created this resource to watch footage from the launch, meet the Rover, and follow current mission updates. To find more of this information on the Mars Exploration Program and the Perseverance Rover, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.