MARS

Mark your calendars.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped this week to its highest level in 20 years.

Venus and Mars will put on a show in the July evening sky.

Venus is shining bright in the evening sky in June

A European spacecraft around Mars has sent its first livestream from the red planet to Earth to mark the 20th anniversary of its launch.

A new study suggests water on Mars may be more widespread and recent than previously thought.

A spacecraft around Mars has sent back close-up photos of the red planet's little moon.

We want to see your out-of-this-world photos!

There's a special chance this week to see five planets lined up in the night sky.

Federal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate.

Space officials have selected a Blue Origin rocket to launch the latest mission to Mars targeted for next year, NASA announced Thursday.

A comet is streaking back our way after 50,000 years.

Mars says it’s pausing using its trademark M&M’s spokescandies and has enlisted actor and comedian Maya Rudolph to star in its marketing efforts.

SpaceX is set to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center Sunday evening.

It was one of many wintry facts about Mars that NASA shared as an arctic blast pushed across the country last week.

It could be the end of the red dusty line for NASA's InSight lander on Mars.

A NASA rover on Mars by chance had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed overhead last year and caught the sound.

Homebuilders have pumped the brakes on new single-family home construction this year, a trend that’s likely to extend into 2023, according to several forecasts.

Big emitters of the heat-trapping gas methane can expect a call from the United Nations starting next year, when the global body launches a new platform to combine existing systems for tracking the potent greenhouse gas from space.

Two NASA spacecraft at Mars have recorded the biggest meteor strikes and impact craters yet.

NASA officials held a teleconference Friday to talk about what’s next for the Artemis I moon mission, forecasting the first flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket no earlier than in late August.

A NASA spacecraft on Mars is losing power and is headed for a dusty demise.

Astronomers have unveiled the first wild but fuzzy image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

Look up!

The Biden Administration is requesting $26 billion for NASA in 2023, up $2 billion from the previous year. How much money NASA actually gets will be decided by Congress.

Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe will no longer be attempting to send its first rover to Mars this year.

NASA is preparing to roll out its Space Launch System rocket this week for a critical test of its engine.

The European Space Agency says the launch this year of a joint mission with Russia to Mars is now “very unlikely” due to sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.

Toyota says it's working with Japan’s space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and eventually live on Mars.

Candy maker Mars is giving a makeover to its six M&M’s characters as a way to promote inclusivity.

Scientists have concluded that a meteorite from Mars contains no evidence of ancient Martian life.

There are always noteworthy things to look up for on any given night, but these are the top events worth marking in your calendar as we venture through the new year.

As the historic year of spaceflight closes, 2022 will target new achievements.

If anyone has a good idea on how to put a nuclear fission power plant on the moon, the U.S. government wants to hear about it.

NASA announced the fourth crew member heading to the international space station will include Jessica Watkins. This will make her the first black female astronaut to join the crew for a long-term mission.

The space race is in full throttle.

The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to send a probe to land on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter to collect data on the origins of the universe.

China's Mars rover is soldiering on after completing its initial program to explore the red planet and search for whether it once supported life.

NASA’s newest Mars rover has come up empty in its first attempt to pick up a rock sample to eventually be brought back to Earth.

NASA is teaming up with the maker of Tide to figure out how to do laundry in space.

The dusty, rocky Martian surface and a Chinese rover and lander bearing small national flags were seen in photos the rover took on the red planet.

Relativity Space is revealing new details about its larger Terran R rocket, which could compete with SpaceX’s workhorse rocket, the Falcon 9.

NASA's little Mars helicopter is safely on the ground following a wild, lurching ride caused by a navigation timing error.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has picked a date to step down as CEO.

China says its Mars probe and accompanying rover are expected to land on the red planet sometime between Saturday and Wednesday Beijing time.

Pending clear a sky, space will be putting on a show for us down on Earth as three planets are now visible in the evening..

NASA is sharing sounds of its little helicopter humming through the thin Martian air.

Space-related news is not just flowing from the world’s richest, biggest nations.

NASA's little Mars helicopter is getting an extra month of flying.

Let the “Florida education” jokes begin.

The Orlando Police Department is looking for a missing 73-year-old veteran who was last seen April 20.

The brain behind Tesla and SpaceX gave a dire warning for anyone hoping to be among the first to travel to Mars.

China says it will launch its next robot lunar lander in 2024, and it will carry equipment from France, Sweden, Russia and Italy.

China's space agency says its first Mars rover will be named Zhurong after a traditional fire god.

NASA's little Mars helicopter has aced its second test flight.

Police are investigating a fatal crash in North Ocala.

NASA's experimental Mars helicopter has taken flight.

A car crashed into a store in Ormond Beach.

A Kissimmee man was killed in a single-vehicle wreck in Orange County, the FHP says.

Orlando police investigate a fatal crash involving a pedestrian.

After the flight of NASA’s tiny helicopter was delayed last week, the agency set the date for the first Mars helicopter flight.

NASA has again delayed the Wright Brothers moment for its tiny helicopter on Mars as teams continue to troubleshoot issues ahead of its first flight on another world.

NASA is set to mark a major milestone in its mission on Mars this weekend.

NASA has pushed back the target date for the first flight of its tiny helicopter on Mars to next week.

Ingenuity's teams are preparing to fly the helicopter for the first time as soon as April 11.

A visitor to an exhibition looks at a display with a replica of the Chinese Mars Rover of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft in Beijing on March 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)BEIJING – As their respective spacecrafts headed to Mars, China and the U.S. held consultations earlier this year in a somewhat unusual series of exchanges between the rivals. China's National Space Agency confirmed Wednesday that it had working-level meetings and communications with NASA from January to March “to ensure the flight safety" of their crafts. U.S. law bans almost all contacts between NASA and China over concerns about technology theft and the secretive, military-backed nature of China’s space program. China's Tianwen-1 is orbiting Mars in preparation for a landing in May or June.

A brief overview of the wild weather on Mars

The helicopter, nicknamed Ingenuity, arrived on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, hitching along for the ride with NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. During a media briefing Tuesday, Ingenuity and Perseverance team members revealed they are targeting around April 8 for the first flight. [MORE COVERAGE: NASA rover gets rolling on Mars from its landing spot named for late author Octavia Butler | Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving]NASA's Ingenuity helicopter airfield on Mars within the Jezero Crater. (Image: NASA JPL) (WKMG 2021)“We really scoured this area. The Mars Helicopter Delivery System holds the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to the underside of Perseverance.

7, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows tire tracks left by the Mars Perseverance rover. The rover has sent back the first-ever sounds of driving on the red planet. “If I heard these sounds driving my car, I’d pull over and call for a tow,” Dave Gruel, an engineer on the rover team, said in a written NASA statement. This second mike didn't pick up any sounds of the rover's arrival at Mars, but managed to record the first test drive March 4. The driving audio contains a unexpected high-pitched scratching noise, according to NASA.

China and Russia said they will build a lunar research station, possibly on the moon's surface, marking the start of a new era in space cooperation between the two countries. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)BEIJING – China and Russia said they will build a lunar research station, possibly on the moon's surface, marking the start of a new era in space cooperation between the two countries. A statement posted on the website of the China National Space Administration Wednesday said the International Lunar Research Station would also be open to use by other countries, but gave no timeline for its construction. Russia is a participant in the International Space Station but its space program has been somewhat eclipsed by those of China, the U.S., India and others. AdChina has planned four crewed missions this year to work on its first permanent orbiting space station, the core module of which could be launched as soon as next month.

This photo made available by NASA was taken during the first drive of the Perseverance rover on Mars on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s newest Mars rover hit the dusty red road this week, putting 21 feet on the odometer in its first test drive. The Perseverance rover ventured from its landing position Thursday, two weeks after setting down on the red planet to seek signs of past life. AdPerseverance — NASA's biggest and most elaborate rover yet — became the ninth U.S. spacecraft to successfully land on Mars on Feb. 18. China hopes to land its smaller rover — currently orbiting the red planet — in another few months.

This image was captured while NASA’s Perseverance rover drove on Mars for the first time on March 4, 2021. (Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech)NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is now wheeling around on the red planet and stretching its robotic limbs, the rover’s team said in the most recent update just two weeks after landing. Already the space agency released the first ever sound recorded on Mars taken by Percy and the first photos taken from the rover’s jetpack as it landed. Since then there have been many more firsts for the six-wheeled robot.. Two weeks into the mission, Percy has already sent back about 7,000 images. “Butler’s protagonists embodies determination and inventiveness, making her a perfect fit for the Perseverance rover mission, and its theme of overcoming challenges.”The spot where @NASAPersevere began its journey on Mars now bears the name “Octavia E. Butler Landing."

The U.S. has blamed the militia for numerous attacks targeting U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq in the past. But several leading members of Congress, including members in Biden’s own party, denounced the strikes — the first military action he has authorized. Kaine and others argued offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances. A U.S. contractor died after at least 10 rockets slammed into the base early Wednesday. “If we assess further response is warranted, we will take action again in a manner and time of our choosing,” Psaki said.

President Joe Biden congratulates NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars 2020 Perseverance team for successfully landing on Mars during a virtual call in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Thursday, March 4, 2021. Biden speaking in video conference call with the leadership of space agency’s jet propulsion laboratory team expressed awe over the Feb. 18 landing of Perseverance. Ad“It’s so much bigger than landing Perseverance on Mars," Biden told members of the NASA team. Ad“We can land a rover on Mars, we can beat a pandemic," Biden said. The NASA team landing on Feb. 18 marked the third visit to Mars in just over a week.

China says a cohort of astronauts have been selected and are in training to carry out four crewed missions this year as the country works to complete its first permanent orbiting space station. (CNSA via AP)BEIJING – China said Thursday a cohort of astronauts is training for four crewed missions this year as the country works to complete its first permanent orbiting space station. Two other modules will be launched later, along with four Tianzhou cargo supply mission and the four Shenzhou crewed missions. CNSA listed 12 astronauts training for the crewed missions, including veterans of previous Shenzhou flights, newcomers and women, though it wasn't clear if there were others selected. Once completed, the permanent space station will allow for stays of up to six months, similar to the International Space Station.

The landing is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort to explore the Red Planet. (2021 NASA)This is the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSSThis shows the rim of Jezero Crater as seen in the first 360-degree panorama taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover (Feb. 24, 2021). AdNASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Rover Down-Look Camera. The Perseverance Mars rover landed on Mars Feb. 18, 2021.

China says its Tianwen-1 spacecraft has entered a temporary parking orbit around Mars in anticipation of landing a rover on the red planet in the coming months. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING – China says its Tianwen-1 spacecraft has entered a temporary parking orbit around Mars in anticipation of landing a rover on the red planet in the coming months. A successful bid to land Tianwen-1 would make China only the second country after the U.S. to place a spacecraft on Mars. AdTianwen, the title of an ancient poem, means “Quest for Heavenly Truth.”Landing a spacecraft on Mars is notoriously tricky. In 2011, a Mars-bound Chinese orbiter that was part of a Russian mission didn’t make it out of Earth orbit.

This combination of images from video made available by NASA shows steps in the descent of the Mars Perseverance rover as it approaches the surface of the planet on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. “It gives me goose bumps every time I see it, just amazing,” said Dave Gruel, head of the entry and descent camera team. After spending the weekend binge-watching the descent and landing video, the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, shared the video at a news conference. “These videos and these images are the stuff of our dreams," said Al Chen, who was in charge of the landing team. AdSix off-the-shelf color cameras were devoted to entry, descent and landing, looking up and down from different perspectives.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The second full moon of the year is about to take center stage in our night sky. The full Snow Moon will rise in the eastern sky as the sun sets Friday evening. The February full moon is known as the Snow Moon, for probably obvious reasons, as heavy snow typically falls in the month. Full Snow Moon Friday into SaturdayThe moon will be at its fullest at 3:19 a.m. Saturday, but will still appear full after it rises after sunset. March’s full moon, the Worm Moon, will occur on Mar.

A vehicle was damaged during a crash with a SunRail train on Feb. 19, 2021. SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A SunRail train hit a vehicle that was on the tracks in Maitland Friday evening according to Seminole County Fire Department. The crash was reported near Greenwood Drive in Maitland around 6:25 p.m. Officials from the Florida Department of Transportation said there were 25 passengers on board the train at the time of the crash and none of them were injured. A SunRail train hit a vehicle that was on the tracks in Altamonte Springs Friday evening and at this point, it’s unknown if anyone was injured, according to Seminole County Fire Rescue.

This Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance rover lowered towards the surface of Mars during its powered descent. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The world got its first close-up look at a Mars landing on Friday, as NASA released a stunning picture of its newest rover being lowered onto the dusty red surface. NASA equipped the spacecraft with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of which were turned on during Thursday’s descent. It's the ninth time that NASA has successfully landed on Mars __ and the fifth rover. As it did with 2012's Curiosity rover — still roaming 2,300 miles (3,750 kilometers) away — NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed Perseverance descending beneath its massive parachute.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in West Palm Beach Friday morning to talk about election security legislation he plans to push when the next legislative session begins in March. The event, which resembled a campaign rally with a cheering crowd, was held at the Hilton Airport Palm Beach along Australian Avenue. “We should have no ballot harvesting at all in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “I think that you can take it, put it in the mail or take it to the elections office.

NASA’s Perseverance rover and the first-ever Mars helicopter concluded a 300-million-mile journey Thursday after surviving the landing. 3:55 p.m. Touchdown PerseveranceNASA’s Mars rover Perseverance has successfully landed in Jezero Crater on Mars following a 300-million-mile journey. I’m all in.#CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/Eilc5Zq3ZW — NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) February 18, 20213:48 p.m. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/bMsKw5ZEIQ — NASA (@NASA) February 18, 2021“You all should sleep in Friday because you guys have earned it,” Chen said. The chips were then were attached to an aluminum plate on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at Kennedy Space Center before launching in July.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man was arrested Thursday in Oviedo in connection with the shooting death of a 23-year-old man killed near the University of Central Florida in January. Jesus Armando Calle, 23, was shot and killed Jan. 3 during a party at an apartment complex on University Boulevard. AdMaurico Antonio Castro Jr. was arrested Thursday by Oviedo police on second-degree murder charges. “I’m at a party and I come back inside and my friend is on the ground shot in the (expletive) neck,” the other man said. He’s dying right now.”According to the update from the sheriff’s office, tips from the community helped them to arrest Castro.

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance is set to complete its most dangerous part of the mission Thursday as it barrels through the Martian atmosphere and plops down on the red planet. But as NASA Mars 2020 entry, descent and landing lead Allen Chen explained on Jan. 27, “the parachute alone isn’t enough to slow down Perseverance for landing. Ad3:53 p.m. Terrain Relative Navigation begins and landing selectionThis animation depicts the Terrain-Relative Navigation technique incorporated into entry, descent, and landing for the Mars 2020 rover. 3:54:48 p.m. Rover separationAdHow NASA rover Perseverance will try to land on MarsThe rover drops from the descent stage and is lowered using 20-foot cables. Follow updates on News 6 and ClickOrlando.com/space on Feb. 18 as NASA lands the Perseverance rover on the red planet.

The site will be open for three days and will provide 3000 COVID-19 vaccines to senior citizens. We’re at 325,000 last week and we’re gonna have a net increase of 41,000 for the next week,” DeSantis said. The governor is expecting a shipment of 5,000 additional doses to be delivered to Pinellas County next week. The delayed deliveries have forced some vaccine distributors to temporarily call off some vaccination appointments this week but DeSantis did say the doses were expected to arrive before the weekend. “Keep in mind I mentioned this yesterday, the Moderna still has not shipped for this week.

ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 meteorologists are pinpointing a new front that will move across Central Florida by Friday afternoon and evening. It hasn’t made its way here yet but once it does, it will bring heavy rain and a few thunderstorms. Wednesday’s high was only 68 degrees. The record high for Wednesday’s date was 88 degrees set in 1944. The record high for Thursday is 87 degrees, which was set in 1962.

[MORE: NASA is about to land the first tiny helicopter on Mars]With so much money flowing into the new Perseverance rover you can’t help but wonder, could the mission fail? The rover’s landing has been dubbed “seven minutes of terror.”“Entry, Descent landing is the most critical and most dangerous part of the mission success is never assured. And that’s especially true when we’re trying to land the biggest heaviest and most complicated rover we’ve ever built,” Mars 2020 entry, descent and landing lead Allen Chen said. During the descent, NASA teams will be in the dark, hence the scariest seven minutes of the mission. “We certainly don’t want to land on that,” Erisa Stilley, Perseverance entry, descent and landing engineer said when referring to the cliff.

An aerial photograph shows the village of Jezero, Bosnia, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. It will be a historic day for the 1,000 villagers, who hope that the landing of the Perseverance rover in a crater on Mars will also bring them some earthly rewards. It will be a historic day for the 1,000 villagers, who hope that the landing of the Perseverance rover in Mars' Jezero crater will also bring them some earthly rewards. The rover named Perseverance is headed Thursday for a compact 5-mile-by-4-mile (8-kilometer-by-6.4-kilometer) patch on the edge of an ancient river delta. It seems that hardly anyone has anything bad to say about NASA’s mission to scour the dried-out Jezero crater for evidence of life.

While NASA’s Mars rover is coming in for landing Thursday, there are two engineers’ voices you’ll want to listen out for as the spacecraft carrying the rover completes a series of maneuvers to safely land on the red planet. During NASA’s last rover landing in 2012, livestream listeners would have heard Al Chen, who leads the entry, descent and landing into the Martian atmosphere, making the calls as the spacecraft barreled down through the Martian atmosphere. The GN&C system acts as the “eyes and ears” of the spacecraft, bringing the rover down to the ground, according to NASA. When asked Tuesday during a media briefing ahead of Thursday’s Mars arrival, Perseverance deputy project manager Jennifer Trosper explained Mohan is who everyone will want to listen out for during the seven-minute landing sequence. Ad“Entry, descent and landing is the most critical and most dangerous part of the mission.

Here is just another reason to look forward to NASA’s Mars rover landing on Thursday. For one day only, Krispy Kreme will give fans a unique, out-of-this-world opportunity to celebrate with its limited-edition Mars doughnut at select Central Florida locations. Mars Krispy Kreme Donut (KRISPY KREME)It’s a chocolate creme-filled doughnut dipped in caramel icing with a red planet swirl and sprinkled with chocolate cookie crumbs. Mars 2020, also known as the Perseverance rover, is set to fly into the Martian atmosphere Thursday afternoon, slowing from 12,500 mph to 1.5 mph before touchdown. Krispy Kreme will give one free Mars doughnut on Feb. 18 to anyone who shows their NASA-issued Mars 2020 Perseverance “boarding pass.”AdClick here to see participating Central Florida locations.

This NASA illustration shows a concept for a Mars Ascent Vehicle (left) releasing a sample container (right) high above the Martian surface. It requires three rocket launches, another rover, a Mars lander, a Mars ascent vehicle and an orbiter spacecraft, most of which will be designed and managed by the ESA. AdThis NASA illustration of a Mars sample return mission concept shows a lander carrying a fetch rover as it touches down on the surface of Mars. (Image: NASA) (NASA 2021)Here’s how the sample collection will play out: NASA will deliver another Mars lander near Jezero Crater where Perseverance will have collected rock and soil samples. ESA's rendering of how the agency plans to collect samples from NASA's mars rover.

Members of the NASA Mars Helicopter team inspect Ingenuity, inside the Space Simulator, a 25-foot-wide vacuum chamber at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on Feb. 1, 2019. Nicknamed Ingenuity, the 4-pound tiny chopper is actually a test mission for NASA. Following the 300-million-mile journey and frightful landing on Mars, Ingenuity will be released from the rover’s under carriage for a short term-mission unrelated to its ride Perseverance. The Mars Helicopter Delivery System holds the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to the underside of Perseverance. “The Ingenuity Mars helicopter has been fully tested, as much as we can on Earth, we have test flown it and we have tested for environment and next is time to demonstrate proof and learn how it operates at Mars,” NASA JPL Ingenuity project manager MiMi Aung said.

In celebration of NASA’s new Mars rover landing on Thursday, Krispy Kreme is offering a special edition doughnut. If you submitted your name during NASA’s “Send your name to Mars” campaign, you get the special edition doughnut for free. Just bring your NASA boarding pass to Krispy Kreme as proof. The new Mars rover touches down on Thursday; the last rover mission was curiosity in 2012. Krispy Kreme says the best way to celebrate is with an amazing new doughnut discovery right here on Earth.

NASA will host its first-ever Spanish-language show for a planetary landing, marking another milestone for its Mars 2020 mission. ORLANDO, Fla. – There’s a lot of firsts when it comes to NASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission, including its first-ever Spanish-language show for a planetary landing. As NASA’s Perseverance rover prepares to attempt the riskiest part of its mission, landing on the red planet, NASA will host “Junto perseveramos,” together we persevere. The Spanish-language show will give viewers an overview of the Mars mission and introduce the role Hispanic NASA professionals have had in it. She will also offer live English-to-Spanish translation and commentary during the rover’s entry, descent and landing on Mars.

This Feb. 10, 2021 image taken by the United Arab Emirates' "Amal," or "Hope," probe was released Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, shows Mars . The Hope space probe now circles the red planet. (Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center/UAE Space Agency, via AP)DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates on Sunday published the first image for its Mars probe now circling the red planet. It shows Mars' north pole, as well as Mars' largest volcano, Olympus Mons. The probe swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission.

Hope is designed to orbit Mars and study the Martian atmosphere using three scientific instruments on board the spacecraft. [RELATED: 3 spacecraft arriving in quick succession to Mars | NASA Mars rover coming in for landing during ‘most dangerous’ part of mission]AdThe UAE Space Agency offered a livestream of the spacecraft’s arrival. ET nearly half of the spacecraft’s fuel was spent to slow it down enough to capture Mars’ orbit. Just before 11 a.m. the UAE Space Agency confirmed the spacecraft had survived and was beginning it’s high orbit of the red planet. The Mars Orbit Insertion is now complete.#ArabsToMars — Hope Mars Mission (@HopeMarsMission) February 9, 2021The UAE hopes to inspire a new generation of scientists and space explorers with the $200 million mission.

China’s first Mars mission, a joint effort with Russia in 2011, never made it past Earth’s orbit. The U.S. rover Perseverance, by contrast, will dive in straight away for a harrowing sky-crane touchdown similar to the Curiosity rover’s grand Martian entrance in 2012. Smashed Russian and European spacecraft litter the Martian landscape, meanwhile, along with NASA’s failed Mars Polar Lander from 1999. It even kept the European and Russian space agencies' joint Mars mission grounded until the next launch window in 2022. AdPerseverance's deputy project manager Matt Wallace, who’s working his fifth Mars rover mission, said the pandemic won’t dampen the mood come landing day.

The U.S. space agency is looking for ideas to improve food production on the red planet that meet several important requirements. These technologies must require minimal resources and produce minimal waste while also providing astronauts the nutrients they need for long-duration missions. AdTo help find solutions to this problem, NASA launched the Deep Space Food Challenge where the potential winner could earn up to $500,000. Similar to other technologies developed for purposes in space, they often can be used to improve life on Earth, too. The NASA competition is only open to U.S. residents but Canada and other international partners are also looking for ideas.

NASA is preparing to land the Perseverance Rover, along with the first small helicopter, on the red planet next month. Perseverance will be the fifth rover that NASA has attempted to land on Mars. While NASA has a successful record with landing its last few rovers on Mars, Matt Wallace, Mars 2020 deputy project manager, said this one is different. NASA Mars 2020 entry, descent and landing lead Allen Chen described this part of the mission as the “most critical and most dangerous” saying “mission success is never assured.”AdThere is a reason NASA engineers refer to minutes leading up to landing on Mars as “seven minutes of terror.” The spacecraft carrying Mars 2020 will hit the Martian atmosphere traveling at over 12,000 mph using its thrusters to steer toward its landing target. One is on Mars 2020′s SuperCam, the head of the rover, and another that will record the entry, descent and landing.