Mars Perseverance launches on Thursday. Here's how to watch.

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By Stephanie Pappas
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In February 2021, NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (shown in an artist's concept) will be the two newest explorers on Mars.
In February 2021, NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and NNASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (shown here in an artist's concept) will be the two newest explorers on Mars. (Image credit: NASA)

NASA's new Mars rover will launch toward the Red Planet this Thursday, July 30. 

The Mars Perseverance rover will explore the planet for ancient habitable environments and signs of fossilized microbial life at Mars' Jezero crater, which was once a lake. 

The launch window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT, according to NASA. Pre-launch coverage will begin at 7:00 a.m. EDT. The launch window will stay open until about 9:50 a.m. EDT, with opportunities to launch every five minutes in that two-hour timeframe. The pre-launch and launch will be livestreamed on Live Science. 

Mars Perseverance is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, a program that aims to put a man and a woman back on the moon by 2024 in order to pave the way for eventual crewed missions to Mars. 

If all goes according to plan, the 2,300-lb. (1,043 kilograms) rover is scheduled to arrive at the Jezero crater on Feb. 18, 2021. There, it will collect rock and soil samples and cache them for an eventual return to Earth. It will also measure climatic variables, such as dust and weather, which will help in understanding the potential of the area to support human habitation. 

NASA’s Mars Perseverance will land in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater. When the crater formed billions of years ago, it was filled with water — the “lake” was about the same size as Lake Tahoe on Earth. As Mars' climate changed, Lake Jezero dried up.

NASA's Mars Perseverance will land in the Red Planet's Jezero Crater. When the crater formed billions of years ago, it was filled with water — the lake was about the same size as Lake Tahoe on Earth. As Mars' climate changed, Lake Jezero dried up.  (Image credit: NASA)

Among the cargo on Perseverance will be samples of spacesuit material designed with the Martian environment in mind. Because Mars has less atmosphere than Earth, its surface is bombarded with solar radiation and cosmic rays that can cause radiation sickness and cancer. The material samples will be tested for their protective capabilities. They include teflon, Gore-Tex and Vectran, a cut-resistant fabric that NASA engineers hope will work for spacesuit gloves on Mars. 

The rover will also carry the first helicopter to ever attempt controlled flight on another planet, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Weighing in at only 4 lbs. (1.8 kg), the little helicopter will have to lift off in Mars' thin atmosphere, a feat that will require its four carbon-fiber blades to spin at a whopping 2,400 rpm. 

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If the 'copter survives the launch and deployment at Jezero crater, it will have to manage to keep itself warm and charged with its own solar panels before scientists attempt its maiden flight, according to NASA. 

On a lighter note, Perseverance will carry three dime-sized chips bearing the names of 10.9 million people who submitted them through the "Send Your Name to Mars" initiative. Any name submitted through the website now will be saved for a future mission to Mars. 

The rover will launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The weather is expected to be favorable for the launch window, with sunny skies being forecast. 

Originally published at Live Science.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • John Done
    I don't get the idea of why they keep sending the rovers to Mars, there is already a bunch of them that work properly and look for the signs of life there and if there were the sings of life, we would find them out already.
    Reply
  • Chem721
    John Done said:
    I don't get the idea of why they keep sending the rovers to Mars, there is already a bunch of them that work properly and look for the signs of life there and if there were the sings of life, we would find them out already.


    Consider the opposite situation. If we lived on Mars and wanted to find out about Earth, it would take much more than a few probes to determine its global and local aspects. We know this because we live here, and know that Earth is rather complex after all. Mars should be expected to have that same complexity.

    Earth, like Mars, has very different geological features all over the surface. It is only by investigating enough of them can we gain a more complete understanding of the planet. A reasonable guess is that we have considerably less than 50% of the most important facts so far.

    It is also important to appreciate that, over time, these Mars probes are getting fitted with increasingly more sophisticated instruments as the technology evolves after each mission. With more precise and variable instruments, a more precise determination of its nature can be established.

    As to definitive signs of life, they may be buried well below the surface. It could take a great effort to find absolute signs of life on Mars in the past, or in the present, if at all.
    Reply