Perseverance, the newest NASA Mars Rover, lands on the red planet today at 3:55 p.m. EST. Starting at 2:15 p.m. EST, you can watch the NASA coverage of the landing.
I was glued to my computer when Curiosity landed on Mars in 2012. It was a tense 14 minutes as everyone waited to see if the intricate maneuver worked. I’ll be watching as NASA attempts to land another rover today.
Perseverance looks a little bit like Curiosity, but it’s unique in two big ways. It’s collecting rock and soil samples that will hopefully be sent back to Earth. It’s also carrying the Mars Helicopter, a small drone called Ingenuity that will be the first object ever flown on a different planet.
I’m more excited about testing the helicopter than collecting samples, but planetary science is important. And if we don’t look for life, we’ll never find it, so I’m glad Perseverance will get its chance.
If you want to see the rover landing, you can watch it here on the JPL YouTube channel or go to the NASA website for other options. The countdown is on.