Nasa to launch alien-hunting robot to Mars on Thursday
The earliest that Perseverance could launch rocket is 7:50am ET on Thursday.
"The Mars 2020 mission addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars," Nasa says on its"The mission takes the next step by not only seeking signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, but also searching for signs of past microbial life itself."
Perseverance, which will fire into space strapped to an Atlas V rocket, is loaded with a new drill that it will use to dig up samples of Martian soil. "The mission also provides opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars," Nasa said.
Nasa's its InSight and Curiosity rovers, which landed in 2019 and 2012 respectively, are still operational.
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