Just like with the SpaceX Demo 2 Dragon Crewed Mission that sent 2 men from Florida, US soil to the ISS for the first time in nearly a decade, the Mars 2020 launch of Perseverance will be aa virtual event. Here are some of the notable ways that you can get involved!

Touching down in the Jezero Crater on February 18th, 2021, the mission will investigate its surface geological processes and history, including the assessment of its past habitability, the possibility of past life on the red planet, and the potential for preservation of biosignatures within accessible geological materials. This mission will seek signs of past life, set aside a returnable cache with the most compelling rock core and soil samples. Moreover, this mission will demonstrate technology needed for the future human and robotic exploration of Mars. A key mission requirement is that the Rover must help prepare NASA for its long-term Mars sample-return mission and crewed mission efforts.

If you have never attended a NASA Social before, it is fun, with a lot of like minded space people! Anyone can join the Facebook group as it is a great place to meet likeminded people and participate in unprecedented levels of virtual access via tours and other activities.

Facebook NASA Social Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/countdowntomarsnasasocial/

NASA Perseverance Rover Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/

Main NASA Website for the mission: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

Create your own countdown to Mars and send it to NASA: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/countdown-to-mars/

Note: If there are biosignatures found, what does that mean for the future of human exploration to Mars? Will life on the planet mean some will be unwilling to colonize the planet? Will fossilized remains change how humanity views our place in the solar system and how the planet formed and evolved? Although NASA isn’t going to be answering these questions, it is still worth asking and thinking about! Stay tuned as we might take a quick peek into this topic!

If you’re curious about the other Mars missions in 2020, check out this article, and for statistics on historical launches to the red planet, check out this article.