On July 30, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched a rover to go to Mars called Perseverance. The original date for Perseverance to launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was July 17, but had to be pushed back due to mechanical problems with the spacecraft. The Mars Exploration Rover mission is to go to Mars to search for any water. People who work for NASA and their partners will test this by exploring and analyzing different rocks and soils.

The name Perseverance  originated through a contest where children were instructed to write an essay about the Mars rover’s name. The winner of the competition was a sixth-grader named Clara Ma from Kansas City, Missouri.

NASA did not just send the rover up to the red-planet by itself. They had created a lightweight (4 lbs) helicopter named Ingenuity. The purpose of sending Ingenuity to Mars is to demonstrate any needs such as technologies in a Martian atmosphere. 

There are already two twin rovers on the red-planet right now named Spirit and Opportunity, sent there in 2003. NASA has wanted to send more up to Mars to learn about the planet. It will take six months for Perseverance to get to Mars. A countdown has been made through NASA for the exact days/hours/minutes it will take.