Perseverance Rover Landing 

You’ve been hearing about this for weeks now, but what is it? What is this advanced tinker doing on the Red Planet? What does it mean for our future? Are we going to Mars? If so, how soon? These are all viable questions that are going through the anxious mind of someone uncertain of Earth’s future.

History: 

Although Perseverance offers a stable step into humanity’s future, its beginnings were not always so steadfast. The program was in a state of turmoil in the early 2010’s, budget cuts to NASA prevented a rover mission from getting off the ground both figuratively and literally. It was only in 2011, where a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine outlined that a “Mars Sample Return” campaign should be the top priority in NASA’s sights. This report coupled with the success of their Curiosity rover, spirited NASA into announcing their goal of launching a new Mars rover mission by 2020. The new rover would feature numerous designs and features from its predecessor Curiosity, but it was outfitted with new modifications to improve its capabilities. Perseverance would also be also accompanied by a Mars helicopter named Ingenuity. This solar powered copter is an experiment to test if drones could be used to scout for ideal driving routes for the rover.

Future:

There are 4 main goals set by NASA that are driving the Mars missions forward and into the future. The first one is to determine whether there was ever alien life existing on Mars. If they find preserved signs of biosignatures, found in rock samples, and through thorough surface-based studies of the Martian geography, then they can prove The Red Planet had microbial life. This could potentially pave the way for human habitation on Mars in the future. Earth has an extremely diverse climate, from the chilly tundras to the scorching deserts, with places one could call more favourable for habitation than others. Another goal for the Perseverance Rover is to characterize the climate of Mars. This could help in finding different habitable environments where the Rover can accomplish goal #1. The third goal is to characterize the geology of Mars. The samples the Perseverance Rover digs up could be used and analyzed by scientists on Earth to look for organic substances, “the chemical building blocks of life,” again to accomplish goal #1. And last but not least, the most exciting to space travel advocates and star wars enthusiasts, the fourth goal is called “Prepare for human exploration.” This rover has the task of attempting to find and use natural resources on Mars to support life for future astronauts, and to look for fuel to use for power.

Conclusion: 

Finally, the mars rover landing provides valuable insight into humanity's future, as we look for ways to spread out amongst the stars. With the numerous challenges society is facing today, it is a breath of fresh air to see such a remarkable collaboration between the different branches of science towards a common goal. It brings numerous questions to the limits of our reach, and how the new minds of today are working towards our future. The namesake of the mars rover, showcases this dedication perfectly, as humanity will always continue to persevere through challenges and dilemmas. The landing reveals a wonderful feat of human integrity, dedication, and imagination, and we at the People of Science are looking forward to its prospective future.