@NatGeo

Human interest in Mars is ageless. Take a visual tour through our evolving fascination with the red planet

@NatGeo

@NASAPersevere

Ingenuity, the Mars Helicopter I carry, is working as expected. I’m currently charging it, but once I set it down, it’ll rely solely on its solar panels. If it survives the brutally cold Martian nights, the team will attempt flight. #CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

We ❤️ rocks too!

@NASAPersevere

I love rocks. Look at these right next to my wheel. Are they volcanic or sedimentary? What story do they tell? Can’t wait to find out.

#CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

@NatGeo

Over the coming weeks, as the data are downloaded and processed, NASA will release the sights and sounds of a rover plunging to an alien surface

@NASAPersevere

Where am I now? Check out this interactive map to zoom in and explore my landing site:



And for the ground level view, my first images are here, with many more to come in the days ahead:

@nadiamdrake

This 👇We get this question so often, and there are many answers, and I love Emily’s eloquence and compassion here.

@NatGeo

Perseverance isn't just in the name

@NatGeoTV

The rover's journey from Earth was a long & complicated one. From the first pieces of construction to the "7 minutes of terror" landing sequence, every component needed to be just right in order to succeed. Built For Mars: The Perseverance Rover premieres tonight at 8/7c.

@NatGeo

After a harrowing plunge through the thin Martian atmosphere, Percy can begin its landmark hunt for signs of ancient life

@NatGeo

Now, the real mission begins

#CountdownToMars #Perseverance

@NASAPersevere

Hello, world. My first look at my forever home. #CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

Percy has landed safely! #CountdownToMars

@NASAPersevere

I’m safe on Mars. Perseverance will get you anywhere.

#CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

@NASAPersevere

Here goes! Lighting the engines on my “jetpack” for final descent. Wheels down in less than a minute.

#CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

@NASAPersevere

Feeling the heat, and the Gs! I’m past peak heating and deceleration. Now in guided entry phase, maneuvering to zero in on my landing target.

#CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

"We have indication that cruise stage separation has been confirmed by the spacecraft."

And now we wait. #CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

@NatGeo

It's go time! @NASAPersevere is about to encounter the Martian atmosphere! We won't know how it all goes for another ~20min.

@NASAPersevere

The hardware that got me to Mars has done its job, so it’s bye-bye to the cruise stage.

#CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

@nadiamdrake

In about 20 minutes (~3:36pm EST), @NASAPersevere will encounter the Martian atmosphere. By 3:45pm, it will either be safely on the Martian surface -- or not. But we won't know what's happened until ~3:55. Fingers crossed! #CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

Why is humanity so obsessed with Mars anyway? More in our March issue:

@NatGeo

Here's how to watch @NASA's live landing coverage on Twitter!

@NASA

LIVE: #CountdownToMars

Watch live coverage of @NASAPersevere's landing. The rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars:

@NatGeo

@NatGeo

For the first time in history, people will hear what it sounds like on another planet. “The microphone will be sitting there on the surface of Mars, attached to the rover, listening to the ambient noises,” David Gruel

@NASA

It’s the helicopter, 2 microphones, 23 cameras, and science instruments for me! 🥰

@NatGeo

Percy knows how to make an entrance
@NASA @NASAPersevere #Mars2020

@NatGeo

Donut update 🚨

@nadiamdrake

Donuts are here! MARS I AM GOING TO EAT YOU!! On nom nom no more Mars. #NoCountdownToMars

@nadiamdrake

The Mars we see today is dramatically different than the planet we imagined a century ago. But our fascination with Mars transcends our sharpening vision, which got me wondering: Why are people so obsessed with the place? @natgeo’s March issue takes a look. #CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

More on those "7 minutes of terror" in our latest newsletter by @vmjaggard99

@NatGeo

You can easily spot Mars in the evening sky anytime for the next few months—and in an amazing coincidence, Earth’s moon will appear right next to the red planet tonight

@NASAPersevere

Today’s the day. Trip to Mars, 99.9% complete. The most dangerous part comes last: the final seven minutes.

Watch my landing live starting at 11:15 a.m. PST / 2:15 p.m. EST / 19:15 UTC. #CountdownToMars

@nadiamdrake

"How great to share it with a whole new population that hasn't been able to interact with our spacecraft through sight." -- Adam Nelessen. I absolutely love this!! Mars will become a place that we can experience through multiple senses. #CountdownToMars

@NatGeo

At 3:55 p.m. ET today, the 2,260-pound rover—the heaviest object ever sent to the surface of another planet—should set its wheels in the ruddy dirt of Jezero Crater

@NatGeo

@NatGeo

As Perseverance parachutes through the thin Martian atmosphere, it will snap images from five different altitudes and compare what it sees with the onboard maps

@NatGeo

Maps are a crucial part of the rover’s entry, descent, and landing sequence—a dramatic, complicated set of maneuvers that will deposit the one-ton rover in Jezero Crater

@NatGeo

Jezero Crater is filled with boulders and cliffs that could spell doom for an unprepared rover

@NatGeo

Scientists and engineers, working through the COVID-19 crisis on Earth, have prepared it for tasks ranging from trying to generate oxygen on Mars to searching for evidence of past life

@NatGeo

Rover Name: Perseverance

Purpose: Collect rock and soil samples for possible return to Earth

Expected Landing: Feb. 18, 2021

Landing Site: Jezero Crater, Mars

Mission Duration: At least one Mars year (about 687 Earth days)

@NASAPersevere

Tomorrow I arrive at Jezero Crater, a dry lakebed on Mars. I’ll chart a path along its ancient shoreline, to see if it’s like similar places on Earth. I’m looking for rocks that tell a story of past microbial life. #CountdownToMars

@nadiamdrake

Perseverance is definitely on track for landing in Jezero Crater tomorrow! And, "the weather conditions look pretty favorable for us right now," says Allen Chen, EDL lead.

@NASA

It's a delicate dance planned down to the second. Now, it's time to execute.

#CountdownToMars with a play by play of the technical maneuvers & key milestones @NASAPersevere will make in the 7 minutes before landing on the Red Planet: