NASA's Mars 2020 officially kicks off on July 30, when it launches the Perseverance rover to the Red Planet. The agency is inviting everybody to take part in virtual activities to celebrate this monumental event.
Live coverage will start at 7 am EDT on NASA Television, which will be accompanied by a countdown commentary. The event will be broadcasted on the agency's official social media accounts as well, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Theta.TV, Daily Motion, and LinkedIn.
NASA's latest Mars rover is named Perseverance, designed to search for ancient life on the Red Planet. The rover will be traveling for seven months and should land at Jazero Crater by Feb. 18, 2021. From there, the rover will start gathering soil and rock samples to bring to Earth in the future.
Perseverance will also analyze the climate and geology of Mars. Data gathered will then be used for human exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will carry with it the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on the trip, a tech demo that deserves its own spotlight as well, as it will be the first attempt at controlled flight on another planet.
Everybody will be given the opportunity to attend the launch virtually, as well as receive mission updates normally received by on-site guests.
NASA also offers a slew of virtual experiences for those who want to take part in the Mars 2020 mission. There's a behind-the-scenes look at the mission access to NASA's social community, an invite to submit videos to be part of the launch broadcast, augmented reality filters, take a souvenir photo at the virtual photo booth, and the chance to send your name to Mars!
"More than 112,000 people registered to be our virtual guests for NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 test flight launch in May, which was the first time the agency had offered this type of launch experience to the public," said NASA Associate Administrator for Communications Bettina Inclán. "For our Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch, we hope even more people will join us as we #CountdownToMars!"
The official Mars 2020 website also offers a virtual Mars Photo Booth. There are five backdrops available for everyone's enjoyment. Simply upload your photo, choose a background, and download the image. Don't forget to share the image using the hashtag: #CountdownToMars.
If you want to participate in the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch (and you should!), simply register to receive updates and view the event live on July 30. Now, the waiting begins.
