pia24316_06_parachute_2000.jpg This illustration shows NASA’s Perseverance rover deploying a supersonic parachute from its aeroshell as it slows down before landing on Mars. Hundreds of critical events must execute perfectly and exactly on time for the rover to land safely on Feb. 18, 2021. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA is hosting a media briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 4:30 p.m. EST to discuss the upcoming landing of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The event will air live on NASA TV, the agency's website, and YouTube.

Perseverance lands Feb. 18, carrying new science instruments and technologies, including the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on its belly. Perseverance will use a drill on the end of its robotic arm to capture rock and regolith (broken rock and dust) samples in metal tubes, which will be deposited on the surface of Mars for a future mission to collect and return to Earth. The rover will seek signs of ancient life on the Red Planet as a primary goal.

Perseverance was built and managed for NASA by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Participating in the briefing are:

• 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

Media who would like to ask questions via phone during the event must provide their name and affiliation by noon EST Tuesday, Jan. 26, to Rexana Vizza at rexana.v.vizza@jpl.nasa.gov.

Media and the public also may ask questions on social media during the briefing using #CountdownToMars.

To learn more about Perseverance, visit:

https://nasa.gov/perseverance

 and

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

-end-

Press Contacts

Alana Johnson / Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-672-4780 / 202-358-0668
alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov / grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov

Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

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