The landing of the Mars rover Perseverance is almost here!

Perseverance is scheduled to land on February 18, 2021. NASA is expected to hold virtual news briefings starting February 15, where it will provide live updates on the various stages of preparation before landing. The landing on Mars is expected to take place at 3:55 p.m. (EST time zone). Starting at 14:15h (EST), both the NASA TV program and YouTube will run a commentary broadcast.

Perseverance will search for signs of microbial life (including possible fossils), collect selected rock samples and regolith (dust and small rock particles above bedrock). At the same time, further geological exploration will be carried out, monitoring the climate already with an emphasis on the possible future landing of a manned ship.

Perseverance is NASA's fifth Mars rover, and if the mission is successful, it will be NASA's ninth successful landing on the red planet. The rover is based on previous missions, but it is a significantly more advanced device. In addition to the extraordinary instrumentation, the rover also carries the Ingenuity helicopter. It will be NASA's first attempt at a controlled flight on an alien planet.

Tonight at 9:00 p.m. on CT 24