The FINANCIAL — On Feb. 18, 2021, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover makes its final descent to the Red Planet. Here are some of the ways you can take part in this landing.
Now through February 2021:
- Get Your Landing Resources
Posters, stickers, fact sheets, mission patches and more. - Ways To Participate
Try the Photo Booth, Send Your Name on the next mission to Mars, and check out other interactive experiences. - Watch Online
Our quick guide to the TV programs coming up you can watch online. - Mission to Mars Student Challenge
Get Mars-related webcasts for learners of all ages, along with lessons and activities for students. - Register for a Virtual Landing Event
Get notifications about landing opportunities, programming, and other mission information, plus a landing stamp for your virtual passport. - Virtual NASA Social
Connect online with other space enthusiasts, ask questions and get answers from NASA experts. Get a special badge to share online or print at home.
On Landing Day, Feb. 18, 2021:
- Tune in to Watch Live
The NASA TV broadcast from Mission Control starts at 11:15 a.m. PST/2:15 p.m. EST.
After Landing:
- Explore Mars with Perseverance
As the rover begins its mission at Jezero Crater, visit the mission website for the latest news and images every day.
The Perseverance Rover Landing
Perseverance will touch down on Mars on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at approximately 12:55 p.m. PST (3:55 p.m. EST). During landing, the rover plunges through the thin Martian atmosphere, with the heat shield first, at a speed of over 12,000 mph (about 20,000 kph). A parachute and powered descent slow the rover down to about 2 mph (three-fourths of a meter per second). A large sky crane then lowers the rover on three bridle cords to land softly on six wheels. Landing on Mars is hard. Read all about the rover’s harrowing entry, descent and landing.
Landing at Jezero Crater
The rover’s new home is Jezero Crater, a large impact crater about 28 miles wide (45 kilometers wide) just north of the Martian equator. Jezero once contained a lake, which scientists think is one of the most ideal places to find evidence of ancient microbial life. If life exists anywhere else in our solar system, chances are, it might be at Jezero Crater. The main question Perseverance is trying to answer is: Was there ever ancient life on Mars? To answer that question, the rover will collect and store the most compelling rock and soil samples for return to Earth by a future mission. Once on Earth, scientists can use a variety of sophisticated instruments, many of them too large and bulky to transport to Mars, to help answer this question.
Landing on Mars is Hard
Landing on Mars is challenging. Only about 40 percent of the missions ever sent to Mars – by any space agency – have been successful. Perseverance is only the fifth NASA rover to attempt landing on Mars. Will you be watching? Tune in to our Watch Online page.
Upcoming Events
Date | Title | Channel | Can I ask questions? |
Feb. 5, 2021 8 a.m. PST / 11 a.m. EST | Spanish: Live Chat with Fernando Abilleira of the Mars 2020 Team | Watch on YouTube NASA en Español | Ask questions via @NASA_Es using #preguntaNASA |
Feb. 16, 2021 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST | News Briefing: Mission Overview and Technology | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 16, 2021 11:45 a.m. PST / 2:45 p.m. EST | News Briefing: Science Overview | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 16, 2021 8:30 a.m. PST / 11:30 a.m. EST | High School Students – Countdown to Landing | Watch on YouTube NASAJPL Edu | Register to ask questions |
Feb. 16, 2021 11:30 a.m. PST / 2:30 p.m. EST | Middle School Students – Countdown to Landing | Watch on YouTube NASAJPL Edu | Register to ask questions |
Feb. 17, 2021 9:30 a.m. PST / 12:30 p.m. EST | Elementary School Students – Countdown to Landing | Watch on YouTube NASAJPL Edu | Register to ask questions |
Feb. 17, 2021 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST | News Briefing: Mission Status and What You’ll See Tomorrow | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 17, 2021 12 p.m. PST / 3 p.m. EST | News Briefing: Proof of Ancient Life and Mars Sample Return | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 18, 2021 9:30 a.m. PST / 12:30 p.m. EST | Landing Day Live Stream for Students | Watch on YouTube NASAJPL Edu | Register to ask questions |
Feb. 18, 2021 11:15 a.m. PST / 2:15 p.m. EST | LIVE Landing Broadcast: Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars | Watch on YouTube NASA | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 18, 2021 ~2:30 p.m. PST / 5:30 p.m. EST | Post-Landing News Briefing | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 19, 2021 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST | News Briefing: Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Update | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Feb. 22, 2021 11 a.m. PST / 2 p.m. EST | News Briefing: Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Update | Watch on YouTube NASA JPL | via @NASA using #CountdownToMars |
Archived On-Demand Recordings | |||
Feb. 2, 2021 | Ask an Astrobiologist: Mars 2020 panel episode | Replay on Facebook NASA Astrobio | |
Jan. 27, 2021 | News Briefing: Preview to Mars Landing Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters Lori Glaze, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters Matt Wallace, Mars 2020 deputy project manager, JPL Allen Chen, Mars 2020 entry, descent, and landing lead, JPL Ken Farley, Mars 2020 project scientist, Caltech Briony Horgan, Mars 2020 science team member, Purdue University | Replay on YouTube NASA | |
Jan. 14, 2021 | Introducing the Mission to Mars Student Challenge | Replay on YouTube NASAJPL Edu | |
Oct. 22, 2020 | Behind the Spacecraft — Meet NASA’s Eric Aguilar Eric Aguilar, Mars 2020 Technical Group Supervisor | Replay on YouTube NASA JPL | |
Sept. 15, 2020 | Behind the Spacecraft — Meet NASA’s Diana Trujillo Diana Trujillo, Mars 2020 Phase Lead, Robotic Arm Science | Replay on YouTube NASA JPL | |
Aug. 27, 2020 | Behind the Spacecraft — Meet NASA’s Michelle Tomey Colizzi Michelle Tomey Colizzi, Mars 2020 Aeroshell Vehicle Lead | Replay on YouTube NASA JPL |
*Schedule is preliminary and subject to changes. All news briefings will be broadcast and streamed on NASA TV and this page.
For Media
News briefings and launch commentary will be streamed on NASA TV, NASA.gov/live, YouTube.com/NASAJPL and Ustream.tv/NASAJPL. On-demand recordings will also be available on the YouTube and Ustream pages after the live events have finished.
NASA TV channels are digital C-band signals carried by QPSK/DVB-S modulation on satellite Galaxy-13, transponder 11, at 127 degrees west longitude, with a downlink frequency of 3920 MHz, vertical polarization, data rate of 38.80 MHz, symbol rate of 28.0681 Mbps and 3/4 FEC. A Digital Video Broadcast-compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder is needed for reception.