Desert ‘Rover’ Helps NASA Scientists Prepare for Mars

Did life ever form on Mars? NASA is launching its new Perseverance rover to find out. In February 2020, mission scientists practiced skills they’ll need while Perseverance explores the Red Planet. A seven-person field team served as a simulated rover, carrying cameras and science instruments to the Nevada desert. Meanwhile, mission scientists at institutions like NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent commands for them to take pictures or collect data from the landscape. The region of Nevada they studied is a former lakebed, just like Jezero Crater, Perseverance’s landing site on Mars.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[vimalramachandran]

Hope Perseverance discovers stromatolites. That'll be awesome.

[ZombieB]

When I get bored sometimes I jump to the clouds till get to the moon and for my return I jump to the satellites then fall over the clouds and the birds till Get back recovering the air and join to the pleasures and the decadence of this earth!

[pinkponyofprey]

This Nevada lake bed was "sponsored" by ... Nestlé

[Justin_Martin]

This is awesome 🇺🇸👑💕 NASA 2020 Mars rover perseverance is awesome 🇺🇸👑💕#NASA

[IanJamesChannel]

Yeah but can it make rainbow sparkles like the LEM did during the moon landings? That was cool!

[paulneilson]

Is there enough atmosphere on mars to operate a flying drone?
An ionocraft type engine would have different operating parameters that could make it an alternative to a rolling drone. I find it curious that it is called a rover as opposed to a rolling drone. Perhaps it reveals the careful choice of language to guide the masses onto land roving rickety rolling carts.

[ivanfaye]

#asknasa what rocket will be used for the launch

[twstf]

Mars; The Only Planet Known to be Entirely Populated by Robots. 🤖




(Of course, we DID send them there. 👍😊)