Watch NASA experts review this week's preparations, as the Perseverance rover launches and begins its journey to Mars.

{youtube} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG-J9hRVGLQ  {/youtube}

More of your Mars 2020 questions answered:

July 27, Monday

Participants of this Mars 2020 Mission engineering and science briefing include:

  • Lori Glaze, NASA Planetary Science Division director
  • Jennifer Trosper, deputy project manager, JPL
  • Farah Alibay, mobility engineer, JPL
  • Ken Farley, project scientist, Caltech
  • Tanja Bosak, science team member, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Topics:
Aeronautics Aerospace Aviation

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    Transcript

    00:00:00 >> YOU LEARN SOMETHING AND THEN DESIGN THE NEXT MISSION BASED ON WHAT YOU LEARN. >> IT ALLOWS US TO LITERALLY GO BACK IN TIME ON MARS. >> THE FIRST PICTURE BILL COVER AN AREA OF SUN 76 MILES. >> MAYOR HER FOUR BEGAN TRANSMITTING BACK UP I THINKS. >> THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH THAT A

    00:00:18 HUMAN BEING HAS EVER SEEN FROM THE SURFACE OF ANOTHER PLANET. >> ON AUGUST 20th, 1975,. >> YOU ARE SEEING SOMETHING THAT NO OTHER HUMAN HAS EVER SEEN BEFORE. >> MOUNTAINS. >> HUGE CANYONS. >> WE HAVE LIFT OFF. PATH FINDER.

    00:00:41 >> THAT SENSE OF WONDER LITTLE AND ACHIEVEMENT AND ALWAYS WORKING TOWARDS YOUR GOAL. >> WE CAN DO AND WILL DO. >> AND LIFT OFF. [ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ] >> CONFIRMED. >> MARS IS UNAVOIDABLEBLY SPECIAL. >> WE HAVE LANDED AND WE HAVE

    00:01:00 SCOOPED. >> WE HAVE ROVED ACCOUNT WE HAVE ORBITED. >> TOGETHER WE DID IT. BUT THE ATTITUDE WAS TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT. >> THE FUTURE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OUT OF IT. YOU CAN MAKE IT REAL. >> HERE WE ARE WITH MARS

    00:01:18 PERSEVERANCE, 51 YEARS LATER GETTING READY TO DO THE FIRST EVER MARS RETURN MISSION. >> EVENTUALLY WE CAN BRING THE SAMPLES BACK TO EARTH AND DETERMINE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, DID LIFE EXIST ON MARS? >> NASA'S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, WE ARE HERE AT THE

    00:01:43 KENNEDY SPACE STORE TALK ABOUT NASA'S NEXT MISSION TO THE RED PLANET, MARS 20 WENT AND THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER. AND WE ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING THAT IS GOING TO MAKE THIS MISSION GREAT MISSION, HERE TO TALK ABOUT MARS 2020 WE HAVE TODAY LORI GLAZE, THE

    00:02:01 DIRECTOR OF THE PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION AT NASA HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON. AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE HAVE WITH US JENNIFER THE DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER FOR MARS 2020. AT JPL. ALSO AT JPL, WE HAVE FAR A, AND SHE IS A MOBILITY ENGINEER FOR MARS 2020 AND SHE'S, OF COURSE,

    00:02:25 ALSO AT JPL. NOW, BACK HERE AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER MEDIA SITE, WE HAVE KEN FARLEY, WHO IS THE PROJECT SCIENTIST FOR MARS 2020. AND HE IS FROM CAL TECH. FINALLY, TONYA BOZAK THE MARS 2020 SCIENTIST FROM PITCH I.T. SO WE ARE STARTING OUT WITH LOWER.

    00:02:53 >> I THANKS. SO AS T. CR. SAYS I AT THE DIRECTOR FOR PLANETARY SIGNS DIVISION THE MASS NASA THE MAIN GOAL IS TO EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM. TO HELP US ANSWER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE PLANETS FORMED AND HOW THEY EVOLVED. AND, OF COURSE, THERE IS A LOT

    00:03:12 OF REALLY SPECIAL PLACES TO GO THROUGHOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM BUT MARS HAS ALWAYS SPELLED HELD A SPECIAL PLACE IN THAT EX-FLOOR ACTION. IF I COULD HAVE THE FIRST GRAPHIC PLEASE. GOING BACK TO THE MAYOR HER MISSIONS AND FLY BYES AND LANDINGS.

    00:03:35 THE CURRENT SERIES OF RBITERS AND LANDERS AND ROVERS CURRENTLY OPERATING ON THE SURFACE TODAY AND. , LEADING UP TO PERSEVERANCE. , WHICH IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH THE SOME OF THE REASONS WE FOUND MARS TO BE A SPECIAL PLACE AND SO FASCINATING, FOR ONE, IT'S RELATIVELY ACCESSIBLE.

    00:03:53 IT'S RELATIVELY CLOSE IN THE SOLAR IS A SYSTEM, WE CAN GET GET THERE AND ARRIVE IN A MATTER OF SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS, THAT'S RELATIVELY SHORT ON A PLANETARY EXPLORATION TIME SCALE. IN ADDITION IT HOLDS A LOT OF UNIQUE SCIENTIFIC VALUE. PARTICULARLY FOR TRYING TO UNDERSTAND PLANETS WITH ROCKY

    00:04:11 SURFACES AND PLAN WEST ATMOSPHERES HELPING US UNDERSTAND HOW THEY FORM AND EVOLVE AND BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR OWN HISTORY ON EARTH. MARS PRESERVES ON ITS SURFACE, SOME INCREDIBLY COMPLEX AND DIVERSE GEOLOGY. ON EARTH OUR CRUST IS CONSTANTLY RESEEK THINKED, WEATHERED AND

    00:04:30 ERODED AND IT'S VERY HARD TO FIND PLACES THAT HAVE PRESERVE THAT'S HISTORY FROM BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, YET ON MARS WE CAN FIND PLACES THAT WE SEE THAT FULL BREADTH OF HISTORY PRESERVE ODD TO THE SURFACE. IT IS A PLANET WITH AN ATMOSPHERE AND HAS A CLIMATE JUST LIKE EARTH HAS A CLIMATE.

    00:04:49 MUST LIKE ON EARTH, THE CLIMATE ON MARS HAS CHANGED OVERTIME BY UNDERSTANDING WHEN? AND HOW THAT CLIMATE CHANGES HELPS US BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR OWN CLIMATE EVOLUTION ON EARTH. IT'S ALSO A PLACE ON THE SURFACE SINCE IT'S SO OLD AND PRESERVED. WE HAVE UNDERSTOOD IN THE LAST 20 YEARS WE HAVE GOT TO BETTER

    00:05:08 UNDERSTAND THAT THE SURFACE OF MARS WAS ACTUALLY PROBABLY MUCH WARMER AND WET THIRD PAST WITH A DEFENSIVE ATMOSPHERE. PERHAPS SEVERAL BILLION YEARS AGO LIFE COULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE ON MARS LIKE EARTH. GOING BACK TO MARS WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND EVIDENCE OF WHEN LIKE COULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE OR

    00:05:30 TAKEN HOLD ON MASS. THIS IS THE STUD I HAVE ASTROBIOLOGY, OF UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT COULD SUPPORT LIFE AND UNDERSTANDING IF AND WHEN LIFE CAN ACTUALLY COME TO BE. MARS 2020 PERSEVERANCE IS, IN FACT, OUR FIRST MISSION FROM NASA SPECIFICALLY DID HE SEEP

    00:05:44 TODAY ANSWER THESE ASTROBIOLOGY QUESTIONS ON MARS. IF I COULD HAVE THE NEXT GRAPHIC PLEASE. BUT EVERYONE WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY COMPLEX MISSION, BUT THEY DIDN'T DO IT ALONE. ALL OF THOSE THAT WORKING ON THIS MISSION ARE LEANING ON THE

    00:05:59 LEGACY OF ALL OF THOSE ROVERS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE FROM SOJOURNER TO SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY, TO CURIOSITY, AND NOW TO PERSEVERANCE. WE ARE BUILDING ON THAT LEGACY OF WHAT HAS COME BEFORE, BUT PERSEVERANCE IS ALSO LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR WHAT COMES NEXT. YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR A LOT

    00:06:16 TODAY ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE SCIENCE THAT PERSEVERANCE IS GOING TO DO ON THE SURFACE OF MARS AND ABOUT ITS MAIN GOAL WHICH IS TO COLLECT SOME SAMPLES TO BRING BACK TO EARTH IN THE FUTURE. AND OUR NEXT BIG MISSION, OF COURSE, IS GOING TO BE MARS SAMPLE RETURN, WHERE WE PLAN TO

    00:06:31 EXECUTES THE FIRST EVER ROUND TRIP TO MARS AND EXECUTE THE FIRST EVER LAUNCH FROM THE SURFACE OF ANOTHER PLANET. AND THAT WHOLE MISSION WILL BE FOCUSED ON TRYING TO BRING THOSE SAMPLES, THOSE VERY PRECIOUS SAMPLES BACK TO EARTH WHERE WE CAN ANALYZE THEM HERE WITH OUR INCREDIBLY CAPABLE LABORATORIES

    00:06:47 HERE ON EARTH. AND ALL OF THIS IS ALSO THEN LEADING TOWARDS POTENTIAL HUMAN EXPLORATION IN THE COMING DECADES, WE HAVE SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGIES ON THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER THAT YOU WILL HEAR ABOUT THAT ARE ALSO GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THAT WILL BE DEMONSTRATING THESE CORE

    00:07:02 CAPABILITIES THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO SUPPORT HUMAN EXPLORATION IN THOSE COMING DECADES. AND I WANTED TO JUST GIVE A PLUG REAL QUICK FOR TWO MORE PRESS CONFERENCES THAT WILL BE HELD TOMORROW AFTERNOON, FOR BOTH THE TECHNOLOGIES AND MARS SAMPLE RETURN IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE

    00:07:17 ABOUT THAT IS TWO THINGS AS WELL. AND SO RIGHT NOW, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS HAND IT OVER TO JENNIFER WHO IS ACTUALLY WORKED ON ALL FIVE OF THE ROVERS THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY BEEN DELIVERED TO MARS. BY NASA AND JPL. JENNIFER IS THE DEPUTY PROJECT

    00:07:32 SCIENTIST FOR SURFACE OPERATIONS SHE WILL TELL US MORE ABOUT THE ROVER ITSELF AND ABOUT WHAT WE WILL DO ONCE GET TO MARS. THANKS, LORI, IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE TODAY AND I AM VERY EXCITED TO TELL YOU ABOUT OUR NEW ROVER PERSEVERANCE. BUT I HAVE TO LOOK BACK AND SAY, YOU KNOW, AS A FARM GIRL ON --

    00:07:55 GROWING UP IN OHIO, IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET THE ROVER BUG. NOW, I HAVE WORKED ON ALL OF THESE ROVERSES, BUT I DIDN'T WORK ON ROBOTICS GROWING UP, BUT IN 1997, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE MARS PATH FINDER TEAM WITH THE SOJOURNER ROVER. EVER SINCE THAT DAY WHEN WE

    00:08:14 LANDED ON MARS AND I SAW THE FUN AND EXCITEMENT AND THE, AND I GOT THE BUG OF EXPLORATION NOW I HAVE WORKED ON EVERY MARS ROVER. IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE NOT JUST TO WORK ON THE ROVERS, BUT ALSO TO WORK WITH THE GREAT TEAMS THAT BUILD THESE ROVERS. TODAY I WILL TELL BUT OUR NEXT GREAT ROVER, PERSEVERANCE.

    00:08:31 GO AHEAD AND SHOWED FIRST SLIDE. THE FIRST SLIDE SHOWS OUR PREDECESSOR ROVERS THE SMALL ONE IS SOJOURNER THE ONE I JUST TALKED BRIDENSTINE WE HAVE SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY THE MIDSIZE GO-KART ROVER. AND CURIOSITY WHICH IS MORE LIKE A SMALL CAR. NOW WE HAVE EXPERIENCE EXPERIENE

    00:08:52 CONVENIENCE, AS I LOOK BACK OVER MY CAREER WORKING ON THESE ROVERS IT'S EXCITE TO GO SEE HOW WE INCREMENTAL BUILDUP THE SCIENCE TO HAVE THIS ENORMOUSLY CAPABLE ROVER TODAY CALLED PERSEVERANCE. I WILL TALK ABOUT WHAT THOSE CAPABILITIES ARE, PERSEVERANCE IS UNIQUE IN THAT ALL OF HER

    00:09:12 CAPABILITIES ARE VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON HER SCIENCE MISSION. HER SCIENCE MISSION IS CHALLENGING. SHE NEEDS TO EXPLORE, FIND, SELECT, CORE AND CASH SAMPLES FOR FUTURE RETURN TO EARTH. SO WE HAVE NEEDED TO ADD A LOT OF NEW THINGS TO PERSEVERANCE TO MAKE HER ABLE DO THAT.

    00:09:37 WE WANT HER TO DO THAT IN A LOCATION THAT'S INTERESTING ENOUGH TO BRING IT BACK TO EARTH. THAT BROUGHT US TO NEED TO GO ADD OUR FIRST NEW TECHNOLOGY. OUR FIRST NEW TECHNOLOGY WAS TERRAIN RELATIVE NAVIGATION, WE LEVERAGED A LOT OF CURIOSITY ENTRY DESCENT AND LANDING

    00:09:51 SYSTEM, BUT WHEN KEN FARLEY AND THE SCIENCE TEAM DECIDED THEY WANTED TO LAND AT THE CRATER, WE REALIZED THE CURRENT SKY CRANE LANDING SYSTEM WOULD NOT LAND US THER SAFELY ENOUGH. YOU CAN THINK IF IT'S MORE SCIENTIFICALLY INTERESTING AND HAS MORE ENGINEERING HAZARDS. BEING GO TO MY NEXT GRAPHIC

    00:10:13 WHICH SHOWS THAT TERRAIN NAVIGATION IS. WE GOT ON BOARD TO SIEVE WE NEED TO MAKE THE LANDING SITE SAFE. WE ADDED WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY OUR ASTRONAUT THAT WE TAKE TO MARS THAT STEERS US AWAY FROM HAZARDS AND CALL IT TERRAIN WELL ENOUGH NAVIGATION. WE CAN'T TAKE AN ASTRONAUT.

    00:10:31 WE LOAD MARS ORBITAL MAPS THAT WE GET FROM MARS ORBITERS MARKED WITH HAGGARDS WE USE A CAMERA AT THAT TAKE PICTURES AS WE DESCENT ONTO MARS AND CARE THOSE. AND DIVERT BY FIRING ENGINES TO GET AWAY FROM THE HAZARDS TO LAND SAFELY. THIS ALLOWS US TO LAND IN THE CRATER WHICH IS WHERE THE

    00:10:53 SCIENCE TEAM WANTING TO DO THIS INVESTIGATION. ANOTHER INTERESTING PART OF ENTRY DESCENT AND LANDING. IT'S HEART, MARS IS 100 MILLION MILES AWAY, YOU START AT 12,000 MILES PER HOUR AT THE TOP OF THE ATMOSPHERE. YOU HAVE TO GET TO ZERO, SEVEN MINUTES LATER.

    00:11:10 AND IT'S A NAIL-BITING THING. AND WE HAVE ADDED SOMETHING TO PERSEVERANCE, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY COOL, SO THAT WE WILL GET A FRONT ROW SEAT. THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY HAS THE ABILITY TO TAKE SELFIES AS IT'S GOING THROUGH THE ENTRY DESCENT AND LANDING PROCESS. GO AHEAD AND SHOW MY NEXT SLIDE.

    00:11:28 THIS SHOWS YOU WHERE THE CAMERAS ARE THAT WE HAVE ADDED TO TAKE PICTURES AS WE ARE DID HE ACCIDENTING ON TO THE SURFACE OF MARS. WE HAVE PAIR SUIT CRAMS THAT WATCH THE PARACHUTE INFLATION, WE HAVE SOME DOWN LIT CAMERAS THAT WILL WATCH THE ROVER GO DOWN ON THE SKY CRANE.

    00:11:45 ON THE ROVER WE HAVE UP LOOK AND DOWN LOOK CAMERAS. UP LOOK CAMERAS WANT THE DESCENT STAGE AND GET THE FLY AWAY MOMENT, WHICH IS AWESOME. THE FLY AWAYS WATCH THE SURFACE ON MARS. WE ALSO HAVE A MICROPHONE SO WE ARE LISTENING TO OURSELVES AS WE GO THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,

    00:12:07 LISTENING TO THE PYRO FIRINGS AND THE HARDWARE BEING RELEASED. IT WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS THAT HAPPENS EARLY IN THIS MISSION I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. WE'LL RECORD THE DATE AND SEND IT BACK SHORTLY AFTER LANDING. NOW THE NEXT THINGS THAT'S EXCITE BIG THE ROVER.

    00:12:24 ENTRY DESCENT AND LANDING IS EXCITING, BUT IT'S ONLY SEVEN MINUTES. MY PERSONAL PART IS PERSEVERANCE GOING LAST FOR A MARS YEAR, WHICH IS ABOUT TWO EARTH YEARS, THIS PERSEVERANCE MISSION HAS TO DO THE EQUIVALENT ABOUT WHAT CURIOSITY DID FOUR TIMES WHAT CURIOSITY DID IN THE SAME AMOUNT

    00:12:45 OF TIME. WE HAVE HAD TO DO A LOT OF THINGS TO MAKE IT SMARTER, GO AHEAD AND BRING UP MY NEXT SLIDE. YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE TO MAKE IT SMARTER. AND HAVE BETTER SENSING IS ADDING CAMERAS.

    00:13:04 WE HAVE 23 ON THE ROVER AND SOME OF THE NEW CAMERAS WE HAVE ADDED WE HAVE NEW DOUBLE-E CAMS THAT ARE NAVIGATION THAT WE USE FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING. THEY ARE COLOR AND TWICE THE FIELD OF VIEW, TWICE THE RESOLUTION AS THE CURIOSITY CAMERAS WE HAVE ADDED BETTER CAMERAS TO THE FRONT OF THE

    00:13:23 ROVER, THE HAZARD CAMERAS THAT WE USE TO PLACE THE ARM ACCURATELY. EVERYBODY HAVE A CAMERA INSIDE. BEFORE WE SEAL THEM OFF. WE HAVE LOTS OF GREAT CENSORS AND ANOTHER THING WE DO TO MAKE IT SMARTER IS ADD SOFTWARE AND COMPUTERS SO IF YOU CAN GO TO MY NEXT GRAPHIC.

    00:13:42 I CAN SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT MAKES THE ROVER SMART. THE ROVER HAS ABOUT 13 DIFFERENT COMPUTER AND PROCESSORS IT HAS DOZENS OF ELECTRONICS BOXES, I CAN'T SHOW YOU THE SOFTWARE AND THE ALGORITHMS THAT MAKE IT SMART, BUT THIS IS THE SIGNED OF THE ROVER.

    00:14:02 THE BACK OF THE ROVER IS TO THE RIGHT. FROM FRONT TO THE LEFT AND YOU CAN'T SEE THE FULL CASHING SYSTEM IF YOU WERE TO TAKE THE CABLES INSIDE THE ROVER. IT WOULD BE ABOUT 3 1/2 MILES LONG. IT'S A COMPLICATED VEHICLE. WE HAVE MADE IT SMARTER.

    00:14:23 THE THINGS WE HAVE DONE TO MAKE IT SMARTER I TALKED ABOUT TERRAIN RELATIVE NAVIGATION. WE HAVE ADDED A NEW AUTO NAVIGATION ALGORITHM SO WE CAN DRIVE A A TONIGHT PLUSLY THROUGH MORE DIFFICULT TERRAINS THAT HAVE MORE ROCKS. WE HAVE ADDED A CAPABILITY FOR HIGHER COMPRESSION TO GET MORE

    00:14:40 DATA DOWN TO THE GROUND. WE HAVE ADDED A CAPABILITY SO AFTER THE ROVER DRIVES IT CAN STOP, CHECK FOR HAZARDS AND IF THERE ARE NO HAZARDS IT CAN ACTUALLY DEPLOY THE ARM OUT. IT CAN TAKE IMAGES AND SEND THEM BACK TO EARTH SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT DAY AND SPEEDS IT UP.

    00:14:58 WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES TO OUR OPERATION SYSTEMS, WE HAVE CLOUD-BASED TOOLS THAT ALLOW A SCIENCE TEAM TO DO COLLABORATION ARMED TARGETING AND VISUALIZATION AND WE ARE MORE PRO EFFICIENT IN EVALUATING THOSE IMAGES BECAUSE WE HAVE TO SEND THEM TO THE ROVER EVERY DAY.

    00:15:17 IF YOU GO TO MY NEXT SLIDE WHICH IS MY FINAL IMAGE. I I LOVE THIS IT SHOWS THE ROVER FOLDED UP READY TO GO ON ITS WAY TO MARS, BUT IT ALSO SHOWS THE PREEMINENT NEW CAPABILITY WE HAVE BUILT ON THE ROVER WHICH IS THE SAMPLING SELLS TELL, YOU CAN SEE THE CAGE-LYING FEATURE THAT'S THE CORE, THAT CORES THE

    00:15:39 SAMPLES FROM THE SURFACE OF MARS. YOU CAN SEE THE ROBOTIC ARM, FOREARM AND UPPER ARM THAT HAS THE MARS 2020 AND THE PERSEVERANCE PLATES ON THEM. YOU CAN SEE THE BIT CAROUSEL IN THE CENTER THE ROUND THING. A COUPLE OF THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE IMAGE THE WHEELS ARE COVERED

    00:16:00 WITH ANTI-STATISTIC WRAP AND WE TAKE IT OFF BEFORE LAUNCH SO NO WORRIES THERE. YOU CAN SEE THE ROVER IS UPSIDE DOWN IN THE PICTURE. SO YOU CAN SEE THE MASS IS STOWED UNDERNEATH THE ROVER, YOU CAN SEE THE AMERICAN FLAG AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MAST. SOMETHING THAT BRINGS IT HOME AS

    00:16:18 FAR AS HOW AMAZING THE ROVER IS, IS THE TURRET ON THE END OF THE ROBOTIC ARM. THAT INCLUDES THE CORER AND ALSO INCLUDES SOME OTHER INSTRUMENTS. IT WEIGHS 80 POUNDS. IF YOU WOULD TOLD ME IN 20 YEARS WE WOULD BEING BUILDING A ROVER THAT HAD A ROW ROE BOT I CAN ARM THAT COULD OLD THE WEIGHT OF

    00:16:40 THREE SOJOURNERS ROVERS IN ITS HAND MIGHT HAVE BEEN SURPRISED BUT HERE IT IS IT'S THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER AN MAKES VEHICLE. WITH THAT I WILL HAND IT OFF TO FAR A TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE MOBILITY SELLS STELTZ. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, JENNIFER, EXPERIENCE VEERS HAS SOME OF THE

    00:16:58 MOST AMBITIOUS SCIENCE GOALS WE HAVE EVER ATTEMPTED TO THE SURFACE OF MARS, NOW IN, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THESE, WE NEED TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES AND OVER A VARIETY OF TERRAINS THE ENABLE BEING TECHNOLOGY IS THE ROVER'S MOBILITY SYSTEM. YOU CAN SEE THE RECEIVER DRIVING HERE IN OUR CLEAN ROOM WHILE YOU

    00:17:15 LOOK AT THAT, I CAN TALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE SPECS THE ROVER HAS, PERCENT CONVENIENCE IS A RUGGED ALL HAD-TERRAIN VEHICLE. A CLIENTS OF TWO FEET, WHEEL DIAMETER OF 21 INCHES CAN GO OVER OBSTACLES UP TO 40 CENTIMETERS THESE A FOOT. AND UP SLOWS ABOUT A 57% GRADE.

    00:17:38 THE ROVER HAS A TOP SPEED OF .1 MILES PER HOUR. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT CAN SELF DRIVE ON MARS. NOW, REMEMBER, MARS DOESN'T HAVE ROADS, IT CAN SELF DRIVE FOR DISTANCES UP TO 200 METERS PER DAY. IN ORDER TO GET THERE, IN ORDER TO GET TO THESE SPECS, WE HAVE

    00:17:57 HAD TO MAKE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES FROM PERSEVERANCE BRETT CESC OR, WHICH WAS CURIOSITY. THE FIRST UPGRADE WE MADE IS TO ITS WHEELS LET'S LOOK AT SLIDE NUMBER TWO WHERE YOU CAN SEE IN THE HE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CURIOSITY AND PERSEVERANCE WHEELS, WE WITHIN BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD HERE, YOU CAN SEAT

    00:18:16 PERSEVERANCE TREAD PAT CERTAIN MUCH TIGHTER, MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER AND THE TREADS ARE ACTUALLY TALLER. WHICH GIVES THE WHEELS BETTER TRACTION. BEING SEE MAY HAVE A SMOOTH PATTERN RATHER THAN THE JAGGED THAT CURIOSITY HAD. THAT GETS RID OF THE HOTSPOTS

    00:18:36 THAT CAUSED DAMAGE ON THE CURIOSITY WHEELS THAT GIVES US CONFIDENCE WITH THAT AND THE HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF TEST THAT GO THESE WHEELS WILL SURVIVE THE HARSH MAR TANN ENVIRONMENT. THE BIGGEST IS THE SELF DRIVING CAPABILITY. PERSEVERANCE CAN DRIVE THREE TIMES FASTER THAN THE CURIOSITY,

    00:19:00 MOSTLY DUE TO IT'S ABILITY TO THINK WHILE IT DRIVES. IT CAN THINK WHILE DRIVING DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL COMPUTER THE VISUAL COMPUTER ELM. THE VCE WAS ADDED IN ORDER TO ENABLE TERRAIN RELATIVE NAVIGATION WHICH JENNIFER TALKED ABOUT. ONCE WE ARE ON THE SURFACE WE NO

    00:19:22 LONGER NEE THE TERRAIN SETTING UP OBSTACLE COURSES THERE FOR OUR SCARE CROW ROVER. SCARE CROW WHICH YOU SAW IN THE LAST PICTURE IS AN EARTH VERSION OF OUR ROVER THAT HAS A THIRD OF THE MASS, AND ESSENTIALLY SCARE CROW HAS THE SAME WEIGHT HERE ON EARTH AS PERSEVERANCE WILL HAVE ON MARS.

    00:19:42 SINCE MARS HAS A THIRD OF THE GRAVITY. THAT EARTH DOES. SO HERE ON EARTH WE'LL BE BUTTING SCARE CROW THROUGH A VARIETY OF TOASTS THROUGH OUR MACES AND WHAT WE'LL BE DOING USING THOSE TEST IS HIS FINE-TUNING OURSELF DRIVING PARAMETERS.

    00:19:56 SO THAT IN FEBRUARY OF 2021, WHEN WE LAND ON MARS, WE'LL BE READY TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AND GET ALONG WITH THAT FANTASTIC SCIENCE THAT WE HAVE IN STORE FOR THE ROVER. AND WITH THAT, LET ME HAND YOU OVER TO PROJECT SCIENTIST KEN FARLEY WHO WILL TALK ABOUT THAT SCIENCE.

    00:20:12 >> THANKS, FARRAH. AS YOU HAVE HEARD THE MARS 2020 MISSION HAS THREE MAJOR GOALS. THE FIRST IS TO SEEK SIGNS OF LIFE SECOND IS TO COLLECT AND WASHINGTON SAMPLES THAT A FUTURE MISSION CAN BRING BACK TO EARTH AND THE THIRD IS TO TEST TECHNOLOGIES THAT FUTURE EXPLORERS OF MARS EITHER ROBOTIC

    00:20:33 OR POSSIBLY EVEN HUMAN COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. IF I COULD HAVE THE FIRST GRAPHIC. I WANT TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE ROVER AND IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THE SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS. WE HAVE SEVEN ENTIRELY NEW INSTRUMENTS THAT WE ARE FLYING

    00:20:45 WITH US. AND I WANT TO FOCUS ON JUST TWO OF THEM. BECAUSE THEY ILLUSTRATE A COMPLETELY NEW KIND OF CAPABILITY FOR A ROVER MISSION. AND THAT IS THE PAIR OF INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE ON THE ROBOTIC ARM ON THE TURRET THAT JENNIFER TALKED ABOUT.

    00:21:00 THESE TWO INSTRUMENTS ARE CALLED SHERLOCK AND PIXEL. LITTLE AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY ALLOW US TO COMBINE OR CO-REGISTER IN A SINGLE POSTAGE STAMP SIZE AREA THINGS THAT YOU COULD SEE WITH YOUR EYES, LIKE COLOR AND TEXTURE, BUT ALSO CHEMISTRY AND MINUTE ROLLS. THIS IS A POWER POWERFUL

    00:21:21 COMBINATION NEVER DONE BEFORE. IT ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND HOW ROCKS FORMED WHAT THEIR HISTORY HAS BEEN SINCE THEY FORMED AND IN PARTICULAR, IS ONE OF THE KEYWAYS THAT WE WILL LAST FOR EVIDENCE OF LIFE. ON WHAT WE CALL BYE SIGNATURES. IN THAT REGARD THE SHERLOCK INSTRUMENT IS PARTICULARLY

    00:21:39 IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT WILL ALLOWS TO YOU NOT ONLY DETECT ORGANIC MATTER BUT TO ALSO MAP ITS DISTRIBUTION IN THIS MICROSCOPIC AREA. ORGANIC IS ONE OF THE KEY OBSERVATIONS YOU MAKE TO IDENTIFY PAST EVIDENCE OF LIFE. I WANT TO EXPAND ON SOMETHING JENNIFER MENTIONED WHICH IS THE

    00:22:04 SAMPLE CASHING SYSTEM AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT I FIND REALLY, REALLY COOL. THIS IS A SAMPLE TUBE. NOW, JENNIFER TOLD YOU THAT THE SAMPLING CASHING SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A DRILL MOVEMENTED ON A ROBOT BEING ARM AND THE SYSTEM THAT PROCESSES THE SAMPLES INSIDE THE ROVER, THIS IS A KEY ELEMENT OF

    00:22:23 THIS WHOLE THING. THIS IS A TUBE IN TO WHICH EACH INDIVIDUAL SAMPLE WILL BE DRILLED IT'S VERY COMPLICATED. WE OFTEN LIKEN IT TO A TEST TUBE BUT YOU CAN SEE IT'S GOT A LOT OF FEATURES THAT GO BEYOND THAT SIMPLE DESCRIPTION. OF AND I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF THEM.

    00:22:42 FIRST ONE OF THE KEY TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAD TO BE DEVELOPED FOR THIS IS HOW TO MAKE IT EXTRAORDINARILY CLEAN. THIS IS AMONGST THE CLEANEST THINGS THAT HAVE BEFORE BEEN BUILT IT'S THE CLEANEST THING THAT'S EVER BEEN FLOWN IN THE SENSE THAT THE INSIDE OF THESE TUBESES OF WHICH THERE ARE 43 ON

    00:23:01 THE ROVER THEY WILL LOOK JUST LIKE H INSIDE IT HAS NO MIKE ROBS AND EXTREMELY CLEAN OF ORGANIC MATTER AND THAT'S NECESSARY IS A SO WHEN THE COUSINS OF THIS TUBE COME BACK TO EARTH, WE CAN BE CERTAIN THAT WHAT IS INSIDE THAT TUBE ACTUALLY CAME FROM MARS AND DIDN'T COME FROM EARTH.

    00:23:19 SEVERAL OTHER FEATURES I CAN POINTS OUT HERE. IT HAS A SERIAL NUMBER ON IT. THIS WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT WHEN THE MISSION GOES TO PICK UP THIS TYPE. WE'LL KNOW WHICH ONE IT IS AND KNOW WHERE WE COLLECTED IT, THAT'S IS OBVIOUSLY SUPER IMPORTANT.

    00:23:32 AND YOU CAN SEE LOTS OF INDENTATIONS AND HOLES IN THE TUBE. THIS IS NECESSARY SO THAT THE ROBOTIC SYSTEMS BOTH ON PERSEVERANCE AND ON THE FOLLOW-ON MISSIONS CAN MANIPULATE THE TUBE. AND FINALLY, YOU ALSO NOTICE IT IS BRIGHT WHITE.

    00:23:47 THIS IS NOT PAINT, PAINT WOULD CONTAMINATE THE SAMPLE WITH ORGANIC MATTER. INSTEAD THIS I ALUMINUM OXIDE FLAME SPRAYED TO THE SURFACE. THIS IS NECESSARY SO THAT WHEN WE CASH THE TUBE ON THE SURFACE FOR A FUTURE MISSION TO PICK UP IT DOESN'T GET TOO HOT IN THE SUN THE LIGHT REFLECTS THE HEAT

    00:24:06 WAY, THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT FEATURES THAT HAS BEEN BUILT IN TO THE ROVER. >> WE SPENT SPENT A FAIR BIT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT HARDWARE OF THIS MISSION BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS TAKES A VERY LARGE TEAM OF PEOPLE TO RUN. THERE ARE ENGINEERS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMANDING THE

    00:24:30 ROVER AND INSURING ITS HEALTH AND SAFETY AND A VERY LARGE SCIENCE TEAM WHICH WILL GUIDE THE OPERATIONS IN THE PURSUIT OF THE SCIENCE GOALS. SCIENCE TEAM HAS ABOUT 350 MEMBERS, THEY COME FROM THE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. AND THEY RANGE FROM STUDENT, ALL THE WAY THROUGH SENIOR

    00:24:47 SCIENTISTS. AND THEY REPRESENT AN ENORMOUS DIVERSITY OF SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE NITTY GRITTY EXPERTS ABOUT WHAT EACH INSTRUMENT DOES AND HOW IT DOES IT, THROUGH TO GEOLOGISTS, AND GEO CHEMISTS, ATMOSPHERIC SCIENTISTS, ASTRO BIOLOGIES, AND THIS WHOLE TEAM HAS TO WORK

    00:25:09 TOGETHER. ONE OF THE KEY THINGS JENNIFER MENTION SECOND DEGREE THAT WE HAVE A VERY AMBITIOUS MISSION PLANNED AND NEED TO WORK VERY EFFICIENTLY. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS. THE TEAM EACH AND EVERY DAY WILL RECEIVE DATA FROM THE ROVER. AND ON A VERY SHORT TIME FRAME

    00:25:28 THE TEAM NEEDS TOWN TURN RED THAT DATA. WHAT QUESTIONS DID IT ANSWER, WHAT NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT DIAMONDBACK IT RAISE. LITTLE AND WHERE DO WE GO NOW AND WHAT OBSERVATIONS DO WE MAKE. WE HAVE JUST A FEW HOURS TO DO THAT BEFORE WE HAVE TO HAND IT

    00:25:40 BACK TO THE ENGINEERS WHO BEAM INSTRUCTIONS UP TO THE ROVER TO GO AND DO THAT. THIS IS A TIME-PRESSURED ACTIVITY AND IMPORTANT THE THAT TEAM KNOWS HOW TO FUNCTION TOGETHER. UNLIKE A PIECE OF HARDWARE WHERE YOU CAN DESIGN HOW ALL THE ELEMENT THES INTERACT A HUMAN

    00:26:03 TEAM IS VERY DIFFERENT. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE WORKING ON IS A KIND OF BONDING. IF I COULD HAVE THE NEXT VIDEO CLIP. ONE OF THE THINGS SOME OF US ON THE TEAM WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO DO IS GO OUT IN THE FIELD IN A REMOTE PART OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA TO LOOK AT ROCKS THAT

    00:26:20 CONTAIN THE OLDEST UNDISPUTED EVIDENCE OF LIFE ON EARTH. SIMILAR TO THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE HOPE WE MIGHT FIND ON MARS. AND SO THIS WAS REALLY A GREAT ACTIVITY SO WE COULD COME TOGETHER AND GRASS THINK THE IDEAS BEHIND THIS MISSION. WE ARE NOW ABOUT THREE DAYS AWAY

    00:26:37 FROM THE LAUNCH. AND WE WILL ARRIVE, PERSEVERANCE WILL ARRIVE ON MARS IN FEBRUARY OF 2021. THAT GIVES US ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS IN WHICH THE TEAM, SCIENCE TEAM WILL NOT BE RELAXING, INSTEAD OF SCIENCE TEAM IS WORKING TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR HOW WE WILL INVESTIGATE OUR LANDING SITE.

    00:26:58 IF I COULD HAVE THE FINAL CLIP. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING IS DEVELOPING A NOTIONAL TRAVERSE OF HOW THE ROVER WILL MOVE THROUGH ITS LANDING SITE. SO IN BLUE YOU CAN SEE THE LANDING A LIPS IN WHITE YOU CAN SEE THE TRAVERSE THAT THE ROVER MAY TAKE.

    00:27:13 THIS SHOWS WE HAVE WONDERFUL DATA FROM THE ORBITERS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND MARS. TO GUIDE US IN THE KEY TARGETS TO FURTHER OUR SCIENCE GOALS AND THE WAY WE CAN TRAVERSE THE ROVER THROUGH VARIOUS HAZARDS WE ARE EXCITED TO KEPT TO WORK ON THAT. AND ACTUALLY START EXECUTING AS

    00:27:31 SOON AS WE GET TO MARS EARLY NEXT YEAR LITTLE WITH THAT I WILL TURN IT OVER TO TONYA BOZAK WHO IS A SCIENCE TEAM MEMBER AND AN EXPERT LOOKING FOR BIO SIGNATURES IN ANCIENT TERRESTRIAL ROCKS. >> THANK YOU, KEN. AS SOMEONE WHO SPENDS A LOT OF TIME THINKING WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE

    00:27:50 ON EARTH, OR MARS THREE BILLION YEARS AGO OR MORE, I THINK THAT THE CRATER IS AN AMAZING SITE FOR LANDING AND SAMPLE. THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE ARRIVED TO THIS LANDING SITE, TO CHOOSE IT, WAS LONG. WE STARTED IN 2014. WITH THE FIRST LANDING SITE WORKSHOP WHICH WAS OPEN TO THE

    00:28:12 ENTIRE COMMUNITY. SO ANYONE COULD COME AND SUGGEST THEIR FAVORITE LANDING SITE AND THERE WERE DISCUSSIONS, EXTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS, BUT THAT LED TO THE NARROWING DOWN OF THE NUMBERS DOWN TO THREE SITES IN 2018. AND THEN IN NOVEMBER 2018, DR. [ INAUDIBLE ] MADE THE FINAL

    00:28:30 CHOICE OF JEZERO. AND THE CHOICE IS PRETTY OBVIOUS, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN SEE, FOR SPACE. THAT TELLS US A LOT ABOUT JEZERO AS A PREVIOUSLY HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT. IF I CAN HAVE THE FIRST SLIDE. HERE IS PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM SPACE OF THE JEZERO CRATER.

    00:28:53 THIS CRATER OWE CAN YOUR HONOR IN VERY OLD TERRAIN. THE CRATER ITSELF IS PROBABLY 3.8 BILLION YEARS OLD. THIS IS AN AMAZINGLY OLD ENVIRONMENT. AND WHAT WE CAN SEE FROM THIS, THERE ARE ABOUT THE CRATER ITSELF IS ABOUT 50 KILOMETERS WIDE.

    00:29:11 AND IN THIS DASHED AREA, WE SEE A FAN, YOU CAN SEE THIS FAN ALREADY. CHANGE SLIDES. WE CAN SEE THE FAN LIKE DEPOSITS ON EARTH AND THOSE DELTAS DELTA DELTAAS YOUR WHEN REVERSEW TERRAINS BEING SEDIMENT FROM WATER. WE CAN TELL THAT THERE WAS A

    00:29:38 STANDING BODY OF WATER THAT WAS THERE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE SEDIMENT TO BE DEPOSITED AND FORM THESE GEO MORPHIC FEATURES. THERE WAS A GREAT STANDING BODY OF WATER SOMETIME AGO. WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE? IF I CAN HAVE THE MOVIE THAT FOLLOWS. THIS IS AN ARTIST'S RENDITION OF

    00:29:55 A FLYOVER. MANY BILLION YEARS AGO OVER THE CRATER. IF YOU CAN PLAY THE MOVIE. WE CAN SEE ON THE LEFT THE IN-FLOW CHANNEL. THAT CHEM FILLING THIS CRATER WITH WATER. WATER LEVEL WAS RISING TO THE POINT WHEN THE OUTFLOW CHANNEL

    00:30:15 FORMED TO THE RIGHT. AND THAT LASTED FOR SOMETIME. LONG ENOUGH TO CREATE A DELTA. NOW, WE KNOW A LOT OF ABOUT DELTAS ON EARTH. AND PART OF WHAT MAKES DEL A I CAN ENVIRONMENT SO ATTRACTIVE IS THEY SAMPLE SEDIMENTS FROM THE SURROUNDING REGION, THESE VERY OLD REGIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN

    00:30:34 VERY OLD ON MARS SO BY LOOKING AT THE SEDIMENT THERE WE CAN LOOK AT THE SURROUNDING REGIONS IN MARS. FOR BIO SIGNATURES IT'S EVEN MORE EXCITING BECAUSE DELTAS ARE GREAT AT PRESERVING ORGANIC MAT AND OTHER SIGNATURES. WHAT WITH HE NO FROM ORBITAL [ INAUDIBLE ] IF I CAN HAVE THE

    00:30:56 NEXT SLIDE. THERE ARE MINERALS PRESENT IN THE DELTA AND WITHIN OUR LANDINGY LIPS AND THE PROJECTED TRAJECTORY. HERE SAY FULL COLOR IMAGE. THESE ARE THE NOT REAL COLORS ON MARS UNFORTUNATELY. WHAT THESE SHOW AREAS IN WHICH DIFFERENT TYPES OF MINERALS ARE

    00:31:17 CONCENTRATED WITHIN THE DELTA YOU CAN SEE PURPLES, YOU CAN SEE SOME GREENS SOME OF THIS TELLS US THERE ARE A LOT OF CLAY MINERAL KNOWN ON EARTH TO PRESERVE SIGNATURES. THE GREEN AREA IN PARTICULAR, YOU CAN SEE THE GREEN THAT FOLLOWS THE RIM OF THE CRATER, BUT IN THE AREAS WHERE THE

    00:31:37 FORMER LAKE WOULD HAVE BEEN LAPPING THE SHORE. AND THAT IS GREAT FOR BIO SIGNATURES. IF SOME OF THESE MINERALS ARE FRIDAY SIP TATED. >> Reporter: HERE IS WHERE THE IONS WOULD HAVE COME IN AND MINERALS WITH THE INFLOWING WATER AND SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE

    00:31:53 BEEN CONCENTRATED AND PERHAPS EVEN TRAPPED SOME BIO SIGNATURES. SOME OF THE OLDEST EVIDENCE FOR LIFE ON EARTH COMES FROM ROCKS THAT THE SAME SIMILAR AND ON PEDROIA SOX OF THE GREEN ROCKS. SOME OF THESE ROCKS LOOK LIKE WHAT FOLLOWS, THEY ARE LAYERED, MADE OF CARBONATE.

    00:32:18 IF YOU LOOK HERE BACK ON EARTH. THIS IS A 2.7 BILL YOUR-YEAR-OLD ROCK FROM WESTERN A A, THE AREA WE SAW IN KEN'S VIDEO AND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THESE ROCKS IS HOW TO LOOK FOR BIO SIGNATURES. LAST LITTLE FEATURES YOU CAN SEE HERE. DIFFERENT LAYERS AND BUMPS WE KNOW WHEN MIKE ROPES HAVE TO BE

    00:32:45 INVOLVED IN THE PRECIPITATION OF MINERALS TO MAKE SHAPES LIKE THAT. ARE THEREIN INNING ON MARS? WE DON'T KNOW. WHAT ARE THESE CARBO NATURALS ON MARS? WE DON'T KNOW. BUT WE ARE EXCITED TO LOOK AT THEM AND WE HAVE A GREAT SUITE

    00:33:01 OF INSTRUMENTS TO DO SO AND WE HAVE MANY SETS OF TRAINED EYES THAT WILL BE READY TO SAMPLE THE BEST ROCKS POSSIBLE TO BRING TO EARTH AND START ASKING THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT POSSIBLY EARLY LIFE ON MARS. SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO D.C. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, TANJA.

    00:33:18 I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA ON THE PHONE. CHELSEA FROM SPACE.COM. CHELSEA. >> Reporter: HI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FORTING MY QUESTION. OBVIOUSLY A HUGE PART OF THIS MISSION ONE OF ITS MAIN OBJECTIVE IS HIS TO LOOK FOR THESE BIO SIGNATURES AND

    00:33:38 EVIDENCE OF THIS ANCIENT LIFE. I AM CURIOUS, IN PART FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST LIKE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW WHAT BIO SIGNATURES ARE, BUT WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO FIND, I GUESS MORE CONCRETELY. WE HAVE SEEN ORGANICS ON MARS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE BUT I AM

    00:33:58 CURIOUS WHAT SPECIFICALLY YOU ARE LOOKING TO SEE AND THEN THE SECOND PART TO THAT QUESTION IS I AM CURIOUS HOW YOU THINK PEOPLE WILL REACT IF THESE BIO SIGNATURES COME TO LIGHT AND PERSEVERANCE IS ABLE TO TAKE US TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN THE SEARCH FOR LIFE. >> YEAH, OKAY.

    00:34:23 SO WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? WHAT IS A BIO SIGNATURE AND HOW ARE REGOING TO LOOK FOR IT? WELL, THE FIRST THING TO UNDERSTAND. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IS LIKELY PRIMITIVE LIFE. NOT ADVANCE THE LIFE FORMS THAT MIGHT LEAVE THINGS LIKE BONES OR FURNISH FOSSILS OR SOMETHING

    00:34:42 LIKE THAT WE ARE LOOK BY ANALOGY TO A SIMILAR TIME ON EARTH MICROBIAL LIFE ON EARTH. TANJA SHOWED YOU AN IMAGE OF A VERY COMPELLING EXAMPLE FROM EARTH OF WHAT THKS LIKE IT'S PRODUCED WHERE A LAYER OF MIKE ROPES LIVES AT THE INTERFACE OF WATER AND MUD AT A BODY OF WATER.

    00:35:03 THAT'S A FEATURE THAT WE COULD SEE WITH OUR EYES THE EXAMPLE THAT SHE SHOWED WAS MACROSCOPIC, IT WAS QUITE LARGE. IF YOU LOOKED A IT THE WITH A MICROSCOPE WHICH WE CAN DO WITH THE INSTRUMENTS ON THE REMEMBER ARM DESCRIBED YOU CAN SEE THAT TEXTURE GOES DOWN TO MICROSCOPIC SCALE AND WE CAN SEE THERE IS

    00:35:22 ORGANIC MATTER IN THE TERRESTRIAL ANALOGUES THAT WE WOULD HOPE TO SEE WITH THE SHERLOC INSTRUMENT. THAT WOULD BE A VERY COMPELLING EXAMPLE OF A BIO SIGNATURE THAT WE MIGHT HOPE TO FIND. >> I WILL ADD TO THE SECOND HALF OF THAT QUESTION. WHICH IS TRYING TO REACH BEYOND

    00:35:44 WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH PERSEVERANCE YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE SCIENCE THAT WE HELP TO DO ON MARS BUT THERE OTHER DESTINATIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM WHERE LIFE MAY HAVE TAKEN HOLD IN THE PAST OR MAY BE PRESENT EVEN TODAY. THE MOONS OF JUPITER AND SAT, A SUCH AS EUROPA WHICH IS THE MOON

    00:36:07 OF JUPITER. TITAN AND [ INAUDIBLE ] MOONS OF SATURN ARE PLACES WHERE THERE COULD BE ENVIRONMENTS THAT MIGHT BE CONDUCIVE TO LIFE. OTHER VERY INTERESTING ASTROBIOLOGY TARGETS. WE ARE INTERESTING IN EXPLORING THESE ENVIRONMENTS, MARS AND BEYOND TO CONTINUE OUR SEARCH

    00:36:25 FOR ARE THERE OTHER PLACES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY HOST LIFE. >> GREAT, THANK YOU, LORI. I UNDERSTAND THE NEXT QUESTION IS FROM MARSHA DUNN WITH A.P. MARSHA. >> Reporter: YES, HELLO. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR JENNIFER TROSPER, IF I MIGHT.

    00:36:42 I HATE TO ASK YOU TO CHOOSE AMONG YOUR FIVE ROVER CHILDREN, BUT I AM WONDERING IF PERSEVERANCE IS YOUR NEW FAVORITE CHILD? AND ALSO WHAT DO YOU -- YOU HAVE WORKED WITH ALL FIVE THAT AS ROVERS, WHAT SETS PERSEVERANCE APART THE MOST FROM ITS PREDECESSORS?

    00:37:00 AND YOU ARE FREE TO USE AS MANY SUPERLATIVES AS YOU LIKE. THANK YOU. [ LAUGHTER ] >> OKAY. THANK YOU. SO I THINK I HAVE TO FIRST SAY ABOUT THE ROVERS THE SAME THING I SAY ABOUT MY THREE CHILDREN, THEY ARE ALL MY FAVORITES.

    00:37:17 AND I ALSO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE I ACTUALLY MET MY HUSBAND BECAUSE OF THE PATH FINDER ROVER, SO I THINK I HAVE TO SAY THAT ONE IS MY FAVORITE. BUT PERSEVERANCE IS ALSO MY FAVORITE. SO I DON'T THINK I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. BUT THE THING THAT I REALLY LOVE

    00:37:34 ABOUT PERSEVERANCE AND I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE HAD A DIFFERENT ROLE, MORE OF A VISIONARY ROLE ON PERSEVERANCE THAN ON PREVIOUSLY ROVERS SO IT IS MORE I THINK A PART OF WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT ROVERS TO BE. AND I SEE PERSEVERANCE AS BEING TRANSFORMATIVE. RIGHT?

    00:37:50 AND I THINK MATT TALKED ABOUT IT THIS MORNING, WE HAVE BEEN EXPLORING, WE STARTED EXPLORING MARS WITH, YOU KNOW, THE ORBITERS AND THEN GOT TO WHERE WE HAD LANDERS AND NOW WE HAVE DRIVING AROUND AND NOW THIS IS TRANSFORMING US TO BRINGING SAMPLES BACK AND EVENTUALLY GETTING HUMANS THERE.

    00:38:07 SO I THINK THAT'S THE THING THAT MAKES PERSEVERANCE STANDOUT UNIQUELY AMONGST ALL OF THESE ROVERS. >> GREAT. THANK YOU, JENNIFER. NEXT UP MARY LIZ BENDER WITH INVERSE. MARY. >> Report: YEAH, THANK YOU SO

    00:38:23 MUCH FOR TAKING MY QUESTION. I WAS JUST CURIOUS, IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT AFTER LAUNCH. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU THE TEAM AND WHEN WILL YOU TAKE YOUR FIRST REAL FRESH, SIGH OF RELIEF, IF YOU WILL? AND THAT CAN GO FOR ANYONE, BUT

    00:38:52 LORI, PERHAPS YOU WANT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. >> SURE. I'LL LEAVE SOME OF DETAILS OF EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS MAYBE TO KEN AND JENNIFER. ABOUT BUT WHEN WILL WE HEAVE A SIGH OF RELIEF.

    00:39:09 I THINK AFTER WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE ENTRY DESCENT AND LANDING AND GOTTEN THROUGH THAT SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR I THINK ALL OF US WILL BE VERY RELIEVED AND READY TO BEGIN THE HARD WORK OF CONDUCTING THE SURFACE SCIENCE AND STARTING TO SEE THE INCREDIBLE RESULTS OF THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOR HERE.

    00:39:29 BUT I WILL LET KEN OR JENNIFER TALK ABOUT WHAT WE WILL BE DOING OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. >> I WILL SAY WHAT THE SCIENCE TEAM WILL BE DOING TRAINING, TRAINING TRAINING. IT'S A VERY COMPLICATED PEACE OF HARDWARE. AND THE SCIENTISTS ON THIS MISSION MOST OF THEM HAVE VERY

    00:39:43 LITTLE PREPARATION TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK. WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE INSTRUMENTS ARE CAPABLE OF AND HOW TO TROUBLE THEM TO DO WHAT WE WANT THEM TO DO. SO TRAINING IS REALLY ESSENTIAL AT THIS POINT. >> JENNIFER, ANYTHING TO ADD FROM J.P.L.

    00:40:05 >> I'LL ADD THAT WE HAVE A CREW TEAM FLYING THE VEHICLE TO MARS, SO SHORTLY AFTER LAUNCH, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO SEE THE SUN AND THE SOLAR ARRAYS AND THE SUN CENSORS AND FIND THE SCAR WITH OUR SCAR STAR SCANNER AND GET TO THE RIGHT SPIN RATE AND WITHIN A FEW WEEKS WE'LL DO OUR FIRST TRAJECTORY CORRECTION MANEUVER

    00:40:28 WHICH GETS US ON THE HOME AND TRANSFER TRAJECTORY THAT WE ARE TAKE TO GO MARS AND CORRECT FOR ANY LAUNCH VEHICLE ERRORS. >> GREAT. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JENNIFER. NEXT UP FROM IRISH TELEVISION, LEO ENRIGHT, >> Reporter: THANKS VERY MUCH,

    00:40:46 D. D.C. FOR KEN FARLEY, I RATHER LOVED THE DOSS I HAD LINES ON THE TRAVERSE MAY HAVE THAT YOU SHOWED. COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE EXTENDED MISSION. WE ARE ALL HOPING YOU WOULD GO BEYOND MIDWAY, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE

    00:41:06 AT THE MOMENT YOU ARE ONLY PREPARED TO GO AS FAR AS MIDWAY. OR AM I READING THAT MAP RIGHT? >> YEAH, LET ME PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND HERE. DURING THE LANDING SITE SELECTION PROCESS, THE COMMUNITY THAT WAS DOING THE PRIORITIZATION RECOGNIZED THAT JEZERO CRATER HAD REALLY

    00:41:25 FANTASTIC TARGETS AND TANJA TALKED ABOUT THEM THE DEL TORQUE THE CARBO EIGHT ROCK, VERY EXCITED TO SEE THOSE, BY THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF EXCITEMENT FOR ROVE UP THE CRATER RIM AND EXPLORE THE HIGHLAND BEYOND, WHICH IS SOME OF THE -- INCLUDES SOME OF THE OLDEST ROCKS ON MARS SOME VERY UNUSUAL FEATURES THAT

    00:41:46 COULD POTENTIALLY INDICATE THE INTERACTION OF HOT WATER WITH ROCK, ANOTHER HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE WOULD BE VERY EXCITED TO INVESTIGATE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE A PRIME MISSION AS JENNIFER MENTIONED, IS ONE MARS YEAR. AND SO THAT TRAVERSE INDICATES

    00:42:00 WHERE WE HOPE TO GET BY THE END OF THE PRIME MISSION ABOUT TWO EARTH YEARS AFTER WE LAND. >> GREAT. OKAY. NEXT UP IS NATALIE GUERRERO, NATALIE. >> Reporter: YEAH, I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD IS THE PROCESS FOR CHOOSING WHAT SAMPLES YOU

    00:42:21 END UP TAKING BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE IS A LIMITED NUMBER OF SAMPLE TUBES. >> I CAN TAKE THAT ONE. WE HAVE 43 SAMPLE TUBES. AND WE EXPECT THAT OVER THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE MISSION, NOT WITHIN THE PRIME MISSION THAT WE WILL USE ALL OF THESE TUBES IN THE PURSUIT OF

    00:42:41 SOMETHING LIKE 30 OR 35 REALLY GOOD SAMPLES. THE ADDITIONAL TUBES THERE ARE SO WE CAN, FOR EXAMPLE, CHANGE OUR MINDS. WE MIGHT SAY THIS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SOME PARTICULAR KIND OF ROCK. AND THEN SIX MONTHS LATER WE FINDETHING MUCH BETTER.

    00:42:57 WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE OUR MIND IN THINKING ABOUT WHAT SAMPLES COME BACK. IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF THE CENTRAL GOALS OF THE MISSION IS TO SEEK THE SIGNS OF LIFE AND MANY OF THE SAMPLES WE COLLECT WILL BE SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT HABITABLE ENVIRONMENTS OR IF WE

    00:43:18 ARE FORTUNATE ALSO HAVE POTENTIAL BIO SIGNATURES THAT WE WISH TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER. BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY OTHER KIND OF QUESTIONS, WE HEARD EARLIER ABOUT HOW MARS' CLIMATE CHANGED IT CHANGED ENORMOUSLY, AN IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WE HAVE NO IDEA WHY MARS WAS SO DIFFERENT IN ITS EARLY

    00:43:36 HISTORY. AND WE HOPE THAT IF WE BRING BACK ROCKS AND STUDY THEM IN TERRESTRIAL LABORATORIES THEY'LL TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THAT LITTLE I GUESS THE IDEA IS WE HAVE A BROAD SET OF SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES THAT WE BELIEVE THE SAMPLES CAN AND WILL BE USED FOR.

    00:43:50 AND THE KEY REALLY IS DIVERSITY. WE WILL COLLECT A DIVERSITY OF SAMPLES, REFLECTING NOT ONLY OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT QUESTIONS ARE LIKELY TO BE ANSWERED BUT ALSO RECOGNIZING THAT DECADES FROM NOW, THERE WILL BE MANY OTHER KINDS OF QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN'T PRESENTLY FORESEE. SO HAVING A DIVERSE SAMPLE SUITE

    00:44:07 IS THE BEST WAY TO APPROACH THAT COLLECTION OF THE CASH. >> GREAT, THANK YOU, KEN AND WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA. THE FIRST ONE IS FROM TOUR. AND HE IS IN THE U.K. AND HE'S BEEN BUILDING HIS OWN LEGO AND CONNECTS ROVER FOR A MONTH AND WAITING FOR THE LAUNCH

    00:44:28 OF MARS 2020. TANJA THIS MIGHT BE GOOD FOR YOU. HOW CAN YOU FIT AN ENTIRE SCIENCE LABORATORY IN TO A ROVER? >> SO PART OF WHAT MAKES THIS PARTICULAR ROVER SO SPECIAL, IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO FIT AN ENTIRE SCIENCE LABORATORY IN

    00:44:51 THIS ROVER. FOR EXAMPLE, AS KEN MENTIONED, THE BIO SIGNATURES WE CAN LOOK FOR WILL PROBABLY BE SOMETHING MICROSCOPIC. AND THERE IS JUST NO WAY TO BRING A MICROSCOPE, A REAL MICROSCOPE THAT WE WOULD USE ON EARTH TO THE SURFACE OF MARS. SO THE SPECIAL ROVER AND ITS

    00:45:12 CERTAINLY SAMPLING AND CASHING EQUIPMENT IS DESIGNED TO STORE THE SAMPLES AND HE INDIVIDUAL THANK YOU THE SAMPLES COME TO EARTH AND THEN WE CAN STUDY THEM IN LABORATORIES ON EARTH. THAT SAID, THERE ARE THERE IS A SUITE OF INSTRUMENTS. THAT KEN MENTIONED THERE IS WATSON, SHERLOC, ALL OF THESE

    00:45:38 INSTRUMENTS THAT CAN ALLOW US TO LOOK AT SOME ROCK SECTIONS AND SOME ORGANIC MATERIAL. WE CAN KNOW A LOT OF EVEN BY JUST LOOKING AT [ INAUDIBLE ] >> THANK YOU, TANJA, NEXT QUESTION MIGHT BE A GOOD ONE FOE FARAH. SINCE YOU ARE ABOUT MOBILITY, THIS IS A QUESTION ABOUT KEEPING

    00:46:00 CAMERA LENSES CLEAR OF DEBRIS AND DIRT. HOW DO YOU DO WITH THAT THE NAV CAMERAS SPORTING THE DRIVES? >> ON LANDING WE ACTUALLY -- THE CAMERAS ARE COVERED WITH CAMERA COVERS WHICH PROTECTS THE CAMERAS FROM THE DUST. WE HAVE TRIED TO KEEP THEM AS LEAN AS WE CAN.

    00:46:25 TO GET RID OF THE CAMERA COVERS AND SHOULD GIVE US A CLEAR VISION ON MARS. OTHER THAN THAT, WE DON'T TEND TO GET TOO MUCH SANDS ACCUMULATING UP ON THE CAMERAS ON THE TURRET SO WE DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH THAT ABOUT THAT AND WE BENEFIT SOMETIMES FROM THE KIDS THAT SERVE AS -- WINDS THAT

    00:46:45 SERVE AS CLEANING THE DUST THAT MIGHT GET UP. >> GREAT, THANK YOU, FARAH. THE NEXT QUESTION IS DID ZURBUCHEN FROM BRITTANY WRIGHT I WOULD LOVE TOE NO THE EX-EFFECT 3-D LIFE STAN OF PERSEVERANCE IS HOW YOU GO ABOUT MAKING REPAIRS TO IT IF SOMETHING SHOULD BREAK OR MALFUNCTION?

    00:47:03 MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD ONE FOR JENNIFER. >> YEAH, WE HAVE TESTED AND QUALIFIED OUR HARDWARE TO 1 1/2 MARS YEARS, LONGER THAN THE ONE MARS YEAR OR TWO EARTH YEARS THE MISSION IS SUPPOSED TO LAST. THE WAY WE DO THAT, WE ACTUALLY TAKE IT THROUGH ALL OF THE THERMAL CYCLES THE THERMAL

    00:47:23 CYCLES ARE MARS ARE THE HARDEST PART ABOUT THE HARDWARE THAT COULD BREAK THE HARDWARE AND SO WE DO THAT AND WE MAKE SURE THAT IT WILL LAST THROUGH ALL OF THOSE THERMAL CYCLE ANDS MAKE SURE OUR MECHANISMS WILL MOVE AS MANY REVS AS WE NEED THEM TO. WE HAVE DONE THAT. HE WE EXPECT IT TO LAST ONE MARS

    00:47:42 YEAR, THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO WE DO IF THINGS GO WRONG IS AN INTERESTING ONE. BECAUSE HAVING OPERATED ALL OF THESE MARS ROVERS ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT JUST GO WRONG. AND IT'S FAR AWAY AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T TALK TO YOU AND THAT'S THE FIRST PROBLEM YOU NOTICE.

    00:47:59 SO THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT METHODS AND A LOT OF THEM ARE IN OUR DESIGN REALLY. I WILL JUST TALK TO A COUPLE OF THEM. THE FIRST ONE IS THAT WE HAVE REDUNDANCY IN OUR CRITICAL HARDWARE, IF THE SLIGHT COMPUTER GOES BACK, WE HAVE ANOTHER FLIGHT COMPUTER, THAT CAN

    00:48:13 REPLACE IT. WE ALSO HAVE SOMETHING CALLED FUNCTIONAL REDUNDANCY, WHERE WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, WE CAN TALK DIRECTLY TO THE ROVER FROM EARTH VIA UPLINK AND SENDING IT COMMANDS. BUT WE CAN ALSO SEND THOSE COMMANDS THROUGH ORBITERS. IF FOR SOME REASON WE LOSE THE

    00:48:27 LINK TO THE ROVER FROM DIRECT TO EARTH. SO WE HAVE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, IT'S ALWAYS HARROWING WHEN YOU DON'T HEAR FROM THE ROVER. SOME GREAT STORIES ABOUT GETTING THESE ROVERS OUT OF DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. BUT THE TEAM OF OPERATIONS

    00:48:43 PERSONNEL ARE VERY WELL EXPERIENCED AND SUITED TO HELP THE ROVER WHENEVER IT HAS SOME PROBLEMS. >> GREAT. THANK YOU, JENNIFER. AND ACTUALLY, ONE MORE QUESTION FOR YOU. AND THIS ONE IS FROM ICHAEL JACK THE, AND HE WRITES, WHAT IS

    00:48:57 THE HARDEST PART ABOUT BUILDING THE ROVER? >> WELL, PERSEVERANCE IS A VERY COMPLICATED ROVER. I SHOWED YOU DIFFERENT PIECES IT HAVE DURING MY PRESENTATION. THE HARDEST PART OF THIS ROVER, THERE ARE MANY PARTS THAT ARE HARD, BUT THE SAMPLING AND KAPPING SYSTEMS IS A ROBOTTING I

    00:49:20 CANNILY COMPLEX SYSTEM. YOU HAVE TO HAND THE SAMPLES THROUGH A BIT CAROUSEL AND ON TOP THAT HAVE IT HAS TO BE SUPER CLEAN SO WHATEVER YOU DISCOVER IS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU TOOK WITH YOU BECAUSE IT WASN'T CLEAN ENOUGH WHEN YOU LAUNCHED THAT'S BEEN THE HARDEST THING TO DEVELOP ON THE PERSEVERANCE

    00:49:43 ROVER. IT'S A REAL TESTAMENT THAT THE TEAM HAS GOTTEN THAT TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN COLLECT THESE SAMPLES AND LAUNCH IN THE 2020 LAUNCH WINDOW. >> THANK YOU, JENNIFER, WE ARE COMING UP AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR SOON SO IT'S A GOOD TIME TO WRAP THE SHOW.

    00:50:01 REMINDER TOMORROW WE HAVE TWO MORE BRIEF GOESES ABOUT THE MARS 2020 PERSEVERANCE ROVER MINUTE FIRST AT 2:00 P.M. EASTERN, THAT'S ON SAMPLE RETURN. THAT COULD BE A GOOD ONE AND THEN MARS 2020 MISSION TECH AND HUMANS TO MARS TOMORROW. THOSE ARE TWO GOOD MEDIA BRIEFINGS TOMORROW.

    00:50:21 A REMINDER, OF COURSE, THAT JULF OUR LAUNCH PERIOD AND THEN TERRY WILL START ON JULY 30th AT 7:00 A.M., AND 7:50 A.M. IS THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR LAUNCH THAT DAY. DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE MISSION ON SOCIAL MEDIA AT @NURSE A PERSEVERE ON PRETTIER AND Facebook AND PLEASE FELL

    00:50:41 FREE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION USING THE #POUNDCOUNTDOWNTO DOS MARS. THAT'S HERE FROM KSC PRESS SITE I AM D.C. YOU GUYS HAVE A GOOD HE CAN, THANK YOU.