NASA Searches for Extinct Life on Mars
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, NASA safely landed a new rover, “Perseverance”, on Mars. Perseverance launched on Thursday, July 30, 2020, and landed in Jezero Crater on Mars in February. The rover has sent back pictures and audio of the surrounding on Mars. Perseverance is still going strong. NASA claims that the rover is healthy and is functioning perfectly. Attached Perseverance is the helicopter that is set to begin exploring Mars from a birds-eye view in 30 to 60 days. It will be the first light of an air vehicle over another planet. The main mission of the rover is to search for past life on Mars and study the planet’s climate and geology. The rover has a drill to collect core samples of Martian rock and soil and stores them in sealed tubes to send back to Earth. NASA is testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, identifying other resources, improving land techniques, and characterizing weather dust and other potential signs of life that could affect future astronauts living and working on Mars.
Erika Kolseth is a senior, and this is her third year on the newspaper staff. She loves thrift shopping, writing music, playing piano and guitar, and...