Follow along as NASA launches the Mars 2020 Mission, perhaps the most ambitious hunt yet for signs of ancient life on Mars.

Official Website: https://to.pbs.org/3m1VnJI | #novapbs

The spacecraft will blaze into the Martian atmosphere at some 12,000 miles per hour and attempt to lower the Perseverance Rover in the rocky Jezero Crater, home to a dried-up river delta scientists think could have harbored life. Perseverance will comb the area for signs of life and collect samples for possible return to Earth. Traveling onboard is a four-pound helicopter that will conduct a series of test flights—the first on another planet.

During its journey, Perseverance will also test technology designed to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, in hopes that the gas could be used for fuel—or for humans to breathe—on future missions.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:42 Mars: Exploring The Red Planet with the Curiosity Rover
09:49 Looking Life in the Jezero Crater of Mars
14:56 Preparing the Perseverance Rover for Mars
22:23 The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Launch of Rover
25:22 The Launch of the Perseverance Rover
30:07 Attempting to Fly a Copter on Mars
33:58 Creating Breathable Air on Mars
38:32 How Will the Samples Come Back to Earth?
44:13 The Suspenseful Landing of the Perseverance Rover on Mars

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