1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 (wind whooshing) (tense music) 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,140 The desert plains of Isidis Planitia. 3 00:00:10,870 --> 00:00:13,730 Thousands of square miles of sand, rocks, 4 00:00:13,730 --> 00:00:15,093 and whispering wind. 5 00:00:17,030 --> 00:00:21,050 The memory of a vast lake haunts this region. 6 00:00:21,050 --> 00:00:24,603 Brooding in undisturbed silence for millions of years. 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,123 But that silence is about to be broken. 8 00:00:30,123 --> 00:00:31,046 (spacecraft whooshing) 9 00:00:31,046 --> 00:00:32,820 (dramatic music) 10 00:00:32,820 --> 00:00:36,483 A strange visitor will soon appear in the eastern skies. 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,570 If all goes according to plan, 12 00:00:39,570 --> 00:00:40,946 it will come in for a landing. 13 00:00:40,946 --> 00:00:44,092 (wind whooshing) 14 00:00:44,092 --> 00:00:44,925 (parachute billows) 15 00:00:44,925 --> 00:00:47,650 Over there behind the dunes. 16 00:00:47,650 --> 00:00:49,123 It's a new rover. 17 00:00:51,860 --> 00:00:55,480 And the start of our next exploration of the Red Planet 18 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,453 and the search for the signs of life. 19 00:01:04,103 --> 00:01:06,430 (dramatic music) 20 00:01:06,430 --> 00:01:08,833 Meet the Mars 2020 rover. 21 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,940 NASA hosted a contest to name the rover, 22 00:01:12,940 --> 00:01:15,893 and they received over 28,000 submissions. 23 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,695 They chose the name Perseverance. 24 00:01:19,695 --> 00:01:21,690 Perseverance! (audience cheering) 25 00:01:21,690 --> 00:01:24,680 Suggested by a seventh-grader in Virginia. 26 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,390 We, as humans, will not give up. 27 00:01:27,390 --> 00:01:29,630 {\an8}We are a species of explorers 28 00:01:29,630 --> 00:01:32,370 {\an8}and we will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars, 29 00:01:32,370 --> 00:01:34,318 {\an8}however, we can persevere. 30 00:01:34,318 --> 00:01:36,210 (upbeat music) 31 00:01:36,210 --> 00:01:38,580 It's been Mars 2020 for about five years, 32 00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:42,280 so it'll take us a little time to get used to the new name. 33 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,260 Perseverance is the fifth rover 34 00:01:44,260 --> 00:01:47,580 to join NASA's family of rovers on Mars 35 00:01:47,580 --> 00:01:50,090 and its mission would never have been possible 36 00:01:50,090 --> 00:01:53,037 without the work of its earlier predecessors. 37 00:01:53,037 --> 00:01:55,368 (wind whooshing) 38 00:01:55,368 --> 00:01:56,557 (balloons banging) 39 00:01:56,557 --> 00:01:59,700 (parachute billowing) 40 00:01:59,700 --> 00:02:02,103 The first one landed in 1997. 41 00:02:03,390 --> 00:02:08,383 It weighed only 23 pounds and was the size of a toy. 42 00:02:09,420 --> 00:02:11,390 It was called Sojourner, 43 00:02:11,390 --> 00:02:15,173 in honor of the Civil War abolitionist Sojourner Truth. 44 00:02:18,510 --> 00:02:22,260 It was an engineering test that proved we could safely land 45 00:02:22,260 --> 00:02:25,093 a working robot using low costs airbags. 46 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:31,800 Sojourner lasted 83 days. 47 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,560 (funky music) 48 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,033 Next came to twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. 49 00:02:39,090 --> 00:02:41,970 These were more than automated rovers, 50 00:02:41,970 --> 00:02:43,883 they were robot geologists. 51 00:02:46,150 --> 00:02:48,850 What they discovered astonished mission planners 52 00:02:48,850 --> 00:02:50,013 and scientists alike. 53 00:02:52,030 --> 00:02:55,890 Both Spirit and Opportunity found minerals that form 54 00:02:55,890 --> 00:02:57,953 only in the presence of water. 55 00:02:58,980 --> 00:03:01,680 This means that long ago, 56 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:06,193 Mars once had water flowing on its surface in abundance. 57 00:03:07,381 --> 00:03:08,590 (water splashing) 58 00:03:08,590 --> 00:03:12,300 Flowing water also means the air on Mars 59 00:03:12,300 --> 00:03:13,693 was once more dense. 60 00:03:15,330 --> 00:03:19,330 it's evidence that shows Mars once had a warm climate 61 00:03:20,410 --> 00:03:24,363 like Earth, but something changed. 62 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,850 Mars today is a cold, dry, desert world. 63 00:03:31,850 --> 00:03:35,820 {\an8}It's a stark windswept landscape 64 00:03:35,820 --> 00:03:40,820 {\an8}of dust, sand, and spectacular rock formations. 65 00:03:41,460 --> 00:03:44,530 But if we look back in the past, 66 00:03:44,530 --> 00:03:48,760 Mars was once warmer, wetter, and even had lakes and rivers 67 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,783 like we would recognize on the surface of Earth today. 68 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,320 The revelation about Martian water 69 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,690 gave new credibility to an age-old question 70 00:03:58,690 --> 00:04:00,960 that once brought ridicule and scorn 71 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:05,503 to any scientists who dare to ask, was their life on Mars? 72 00:04:09,140 --> 00:04:12,580 Which is why this 200 foot tall Atlas V rocket 73 00:04:12,580 --> 00:04:14,853 is going to Mars to help us learn more. 74 00:04:16,531 --> 00:04:17,660 Right there, guys. 75 00:04:17,660 --> 00:04:19,580 Okay, let's hold it there. 76 00:04:19,580 --> 00:04:20,840 A reliable veteran 77 00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:23,090 of the American launch industry. 78 00:04:23,090 --> 00:04:26,950 Atlas Vs have lofted many interplanetary probes, 79 00:04:26,950 --> 00:04:30,216 including the proceeding Curiosity rover. 80 00:04:30,216 --> 00:04:34,130 (suspenseful music) 81 00:04:34,130 --> 00:04:37,710 This time it's carrying Perseverance, 82 00:04:37,710 --> 00:04:39,723 NASA's next rover to Mars. 83 00:04:41,450 --> 00:04:44,640 For a planetary geologist like Bethany Ehlmann, 84 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,860 the launch itself can cause tension. 85 00:04:47,860 --> 00:04:50,810 A lot of things have to go right in a space mission 86 00:04:50,810 --> 00:04:52,403 to get your spacecraft to Mars. 87 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:55,590 All we can do is cross our fingers, hope for the best, 88 00:04:55,590 --> 00:04:58,290 and cheer on the crew that's making the launch happen. 89 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:02,700 This valuable spacecraft 90 00:05:02,700 --> 00:05:05,300 that has taken years to put together 91 00:05:05,300 --> 00:05:07,930 for hundreds if not thousands of people, 92 00:05:07,930 --> 00:05:10,710 it all depends on what happens in the next few minutes. 93 00:05:10,710 --> 00:05:13,933 And it should be on its journey to Mars very shortly, 94 00:05:15,190 --> 00:05:16,330 Adding to the pressure 95 00:05:16,330 --> 00:05:18,386 is the urgency of the launch. 96 00:05:18,386 --> 00:05:21,740 (tense music) 97 00:05:21,740 --> 00:05:25,123 Earth will soon pass Mars as both planets orbit the Sun. 98 00:05:26,070 --> 00:05:28,270 Astronomers call the moment of closest approach 99 00:05:28,270 --> 00:05:30,883 between the two planets an opposition. 100 00:05:32,300 --> 00:05:35,953 This is the time to jump from one planet to the next. 101 00:05:37,870 --> 00:05:40,870 In getting to Mars we wanna shorten the travel time 102 00:05:40,870 --> 00:05:43,284 to as short as possible. 103 00:05:43,284 --> 00:05:45,470 (rocket whooshing) 104 00:05:45,470 --> 00:05:46,830 Launching at opposition 105 00:05:46,830 --> 00:05:50,800 reduces the interplanetary flight to about seven months 106 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,123 and cuts the overall cost of the mission. 107 00:05:54,070 --> 00:05:55,810 If they miss the launch, 108 00:05:55,810 --> 00:05:58,820 NASA will have to wait for the next opposition, 109 00:05:58,820 --> 00:05:59,883 two years from now. 110 00:06:03,910 --> 00:06:06,140 We always launch it at the optimal time 111 00:06:06,140 --> 00:06:07,970 where Earth and Mars are positioned just right 112 00:06:07,970 --> 00:06:10,330 to make that journey as short as possible. 113 00:06:10,330 --> 00:06:12,210 These launch windows happen once every two years, 114 00:06:12,210 --> 00:06:14,680 we're seizing the opportunity with Perseverance 115 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,910 and it's going to be then a seven month trip to Mars. 116 00:06:18,910 --> 00:06:21,500 The question is where to land? 117 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:25,140 Mission planners want the best place to find signs of life. 118 00:06:25,140 --> 00:06:28,540 This means water must have been there long ago. 119 00:06:28,540 --> 00:06:31,850 We have picked the landing site to be 120 00:06:31,850 --> 00:06:36,850 on the western edge of the Isidis Planitia impact basin. 121 00:06:37,770 --> 00:06:42,770 And we're going right here to a place called Jezero Crater, 122 00:06:43,550 --> 00:06:48,520 {\an8}which once when Mars was warmer and wetter, hosted a lake. 123 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:49,840 {\an8}An environment very different 124 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:52,183 {\an8}from what we're gonna see when we land today. 125 00:06:53,310 --> 00:06:55,760 This ancient lake bed is the same size 126 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,683 as Lake Tahoe in California. 127 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:00,120 It's an excellent place 128 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,203 to look for possible Martian in life. 129 00:07:04,170 --> 00:07:07,103 On Earth, lakes are filled with living creatures. 130 00:07:08,350 --> 00:07:11,370 Evidence of that life is preserved in the mud and sand 131 00:07:11,370 --> 00:07:13,233 deposited on the bottom of the lake. 132 00:07:14,790 --> 00:07:17,300 Could the same be true for Mars? 133 00:07:17,300 --> 00:07:19,550 The rover's instruments will closely examine 134 00:07:19,550 --> 00:07:22,019 the ancient rocks of the bygone lake. 135 00:07:22,019 --> 00:07:25,140 (dramatic music) 136 00:07:25,140 --> 00:07:28,671 But first, the rover must get there safely. 137 00:07:28,671 --> 00:07:32,309 (intense dramatic music) 138 00:07:32,309 --> 00:07:33,690 One of the most exciting parts 139 00:07:33,690 --> 00:07:36,203 of getting to Mars is the landing sequence. 140 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:40,790 It's been said that the Mars atmosphere 141 00:07:40,790 --> 00:07:45,373 is too thin to be useful but too thick to ignore. 142 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:50,260 Meaning it heats the spacecraft up by friction, 143 00:07:50,260 --> 00:07:52,043 but it doesn't slow it down. 144 00:07:53,180 --> 00:07:55,450 The spacecraft must hit the atmosphere 145 00:07:55,450 --> 00:07:56,650 at just the right angle. 146 00:07:57,680 --> 00:07:59,680 Hit the atmosphere too shallow 147 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:01,910 and the vehicle skips off into space 148 00:08:01,910 --> 00:08:04,780 like a stone skipping over water. 149 00:08:04,780 --> 00:08:09,410 Hit the atmosphere too steep and it burns up like a meteor. 150 00:08:09,410 --> 00:08:10,800 It's a landing sequence 151 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,430 that worked for Perseverance's predecessor, 152 00:08:13,430 --> 00:08:16,023 the Curiosity Rover in 2012. 153 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,903 It strikes the air at over 13,000 miles per hour. 154 00:08:23,330 --> 00:08:25,820 Friction from the air burns the heat shield 155 00:08:25,820 --> 00:08:29,470 with temperatures reaching 2,100 degrees centigrade. 156 00:08:29,470 --> 00:08:31,653 That's 3,800 degrees Fahrenheit. 157 00:08:32,750 --> 00:08:34,300 So it was heating up, heating up, heating up. 158 00:08:34,300 --> 00:08:35,910 And finally, it gets to a portion of the atmosphere 159 00:08:35,910 --> 00:08:37,200 where the atmosphere actually acts 160 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,870 to slow down that spacecraft. 161 00:08:40,870 --> 00:08:42,570 That's when the parachute deploys. 162 00:08:47,279 --> 00:08:49,580 It's very shortly after the heavy heat shield, 163 00:08:49,580 --> 00:08:52,320 which has protected it from the heat drops away. 164 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,410 So with that parachute out and it's a supersonic deploy 165 00:08:55,410 --> 00:08:57,830 and it's also one of the riskier parts of the mission. 166 00:08:57,830 --> 00:08:59,763 You don't want that parachute to tear. 167 00:09:02,755 --> 00:09:06,000 And then what happens is the radar starts to see 168 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,960 where we are relative to the ground. 169 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:10,870 The rover and its descent stage 170 00:09:10,870 --> 00:09:12,453 detach from the parachute. 171 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,433 The descent stage is called a sky crane. 172 00:09:17,270 --> 00:09:20,193 It takes over the landing and fires its engines. 173 00:09:21,910 --> 00:09:25,113 As it descends, the rover takes pictures of the ground. 174 00:09:26,180 --> 00:09:29,390 It's onboard computer rapidly compares the images 175 00:09:29,390 --> 00:09:31,733 with pictures stored in its database. 176 00:09:33,230 --> 00:09:36,750 This computer lines up features it sees in the new photos 177 00:09:36,750 --> 00:09:39,313 with features cataloged in its database. 178 00:09:40,420 --> 00:09:43,530 If the rover is descending toward dangerous ground, 179 00:09:43,530 --> 00:09:45,010 it can change direction 180 00:09:45,010 --> 00:09:47,373 and move toward a safer place to land. 181 00:09:48,690 --> 00:09:52,030 Slows, hovers, and then lowers via sky crane. 182 00:09:52,030 --> 00:09:55,860 The rover on the edge of this tether, 183 00:09:55,860 --> 00:09:59,050 when contact is sensed with the ground, 184 00:09:59,050 --> 00:10:02,257 that tether is cut, that descent stage flies away 185 00:10:02,257 --> 00:10:05,520 and the rover falls, what should be no more than a meter, 186 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:07,223 to hit the surface, but gently. 187 00:10:08,550 --> 00:10:10,020 For a few minutes, 188 00:10:10,020 --> 00:10:12,380 the spacecraft descending toward the ground 189 00:10:12,380 --> 00:10:14,873 will not be able to communicate with Earth. 190 00:10:17,130 --> 00:10:18,900 As with the Curiosity rover, 191 00:10:18,900 --> 00:10:21,410 people might remember the seven minutes of terror. 192 00:10:21,410 --> 00:10:24,330 We're gonna have a similar period of communications blackout 193 00:10:24,330 --> 00:10:26,590 because it just takes time for that radio signal 194 00:10:26,590 --> 00:10:29,886 to go from Earth to Mars, Mars to Earth. 195 00:10:29,886 --> 00:10:32,469 (jets roaring) 196 00:10:33,609 --> 00:10:34,490 And we're gonna have that period 197 00:10:34,490 --> 00:10:36,720 where it will have happened on Mars. 198 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:40,220 The rover will have landed or it will have crashed. 199 00:10:40,220 --> 00:10:44,690 And we will not know until that signal gets back. 200 00:10:44,690 --> 00:10:47,360 Those minutes of blackout are some of the most 201 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:49,030 heart-pounding moments, 202 00:10:49,030 --> 00:10:52,363 as you wait to see what happened with the spacecraft. 203 00:10:52,363 --> 00:10:54,946 (jets roaring) 204 00:10:55,930 --> 00:10:58,570 Perseverance is now ready for its mission. 205 00:10:58,570 --> 00:11:01,420 As the expression goes, to seek out life 206 00:11:01,420 --> 00:11:03,963 and boldly go where no one has gone before. 207 00:11:07,700 --> 00:11:10,200 To do this Perseverance is armed 208 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,500 with a phalanx of seven instruments and 23 cameras 209 00:11:14,500 --> 00:11:17,420 that address questions about life in the past, 210 00:11:17,420 --> 00:11:19,788 in the present, and the future. 211 00:11:19,788 --> 00:11:22,320 (gentle pensive music) 212 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:24,070 {\an8}The rover will be able to identify 213 00:11:24,070 --> 00:11:26,940 {\an8}chemical elements on the Martian soil, 214 00:11:26,940 --> 00:11:29,260 {\an8}as well as organics and minerals 215 00:11:29,260 --> 00:11:32,023 {\an8}that may be signs of past microbial life. 216 00:11:33,460 --> 00:11:35,620 {\an8}The latest and camera technology 217 00:11:35,620 --> 00:11:38,853 {\an8}can resolve features as small as a grain of salt. 218 00:11:42,030 --> 00:11:44,280 If something ever lived here, 219 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:46,808 perseverance can find evidence of it. 220 00:11:46,808 --> 00:11:49,891 {\an8}(suspenseful music) 221 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:56,250 {\an8}A drill shares the turret with the scientific instruments. 222 00:11:56,250 --> 00:12:00,120 {\an8}The drill can bore holes and extract core samples 223 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,113 {\an8}1/2 inch wide and 2.4 inches long. 224 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:08,010 This is a system that allows us to take core samples 225 00:12:08,010 --> 00:12:10,820 of rocky material on the surface of Mars, 226 00:12:10,820 --> 00:12:15,820 {\an8}carefully sealed them in very sterile, clean vessels 227 00:12:16,130 --> 00:12:18,917 {\an8}for eventual return to Earth 228 00:12:18,917 --> 00:12:21,610 (suspenseful music) 229 00:12:21,610 --> 00:12:23,630 Once the sample is collected, 230 00:12:23,630 --> 00:12:27,040 Perseverance can store the sample in a revolving chamber 231 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:28,803 located inside the rover. 232 00:12:30,410 --> 00:12:33,660 This chamber is called the sample cache 233 00:12:33,660 --> 00:12:36,773 and it has storage for 47 empty tubes available. 234 00:12:37,890 --> 00:12:41,060 Here, the samples are hermetically sealed. 235 00:12:41,060 --> 00:12:44,780 No contaminants from the river will ever enter the tubes 236 00:12:44,780 --> 00:12:46,573 and nothing can escape them. 237 00:12:48,370 --> 00:12:51,210 At some point yet to be determined in the future, 238 00:12:51,210 --> 00:12:52,710 a site will be chosen 239 00:12:52,710 --> 00:12:54,963 where the sample cache will be deposited. 240 00:12:55,940 --> 00:12:57,713 This will become a depot. 241 00:12:58,570 --> 00:13:00,810 Perseverance will spend the rest of its mission, 242 00:13:00,810 --> 00:13:02,993 bringing sample tubes to the depot. 243 00:13:06,430 --> 00:13:08,740 A future mission will collect the cache 244 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:11,683 and bring the samples back to Earth. 245 00:13:12,900 --> 00:13:15,200 This makes Perseverance the first part 246 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:16,703 of a sample return mission. 247 00:13:19,090 --> 00:13:22,220 I think we have a lot to learn, life or no life, 248 00:13:22,220 --> 00:13:25,860 about the evolution of our solar system, about our planet, 249 00:13:25,860 --> 00:13:29,180 by looking in-depth at rocks brought that to Mars. 250 00:13:33,761 --> 00:13:36,706 (gentle groovy music) 251 00:13:36,706 --> 00:13:39,440 The Mastcam-Z instrument 252 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,880 consists of two fixed focus, but zoomable cameras 253 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,260 that are mounted on either side of the rover mast. 254 00:13:45,260 --> 00:13:49,265 So they let us get a stereo view of the landscape, 255 00:13:49,265 --> 00:13:50,833 just as our eyes do. 256 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:55,600 The instrument consists of two zoomable cameras 257 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,353 mounted on both sides of the rover's mast. 258 00:13:59,810 --> 00:14:01,750 Temperatures are well within our limits. 259 00:14:01,750 --> 00:14:03,160 So we're ready to go. 260 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,410 We're going come up and do Mastcam. 261 00:14:06,950 --> 00:14:08,810 The two cameras work the same way 262 00:14:08,810 --> 00:14:10,300 as human eyes, 263 00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:13,293 giving us a stereoscopic view of the landscape. 264 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:15,570 You know, I'm most nervous about this one. 265 00:14:15,570 --> 00:14:16,403 So I'm gonna split the difference 266 00:14:16,403 --> 00:14:17,927 and put him right down the middle. 267 00:14:18,890 --> 00:14:20,660 To plan our rovers activities 268 00:14:20,660 --> 00:14:22,900 we use images that were taken by the rover 269 00:14:22,900 --> 00:14:24,600 with the left and right eye camera 270 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,960 to build 3D terrain models. 271 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,210 And with our red and blue anaglyph glasses 272 00:14:29,210 --> 00:14:32,373 we can see the train in 3D like the rover would see it. 273 00:14:34,010 --> 00:14:37,340 The Mastcam is mounted, as the name suggests, 274 00:14:37,340 --> 00:14:40,900 on a pole that approximates the eye line of a human 275 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:43,290 6 1/2 feet tall. 276 00:14:43,290 --> 00:14:45,900 Mastcam-Z is effectively our eyes on Mars 277 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:49,703 in terms of recon and assessing what the terrain's doing. 278 00:14:50,591 --> 00:14:52,770 Mastcam-Z is used 279 00:14:52,770 --> 00:14:55,260 to choose targets for a closer look 280 00:14:55,260 --> 00:14:58,770 {\an8}and to get a sense of the terrain surrounding the rover. 281 00:14:58,770 --> 00:15:02,590 What's special though about the Mastcam cameras, 282 00:15:02,590 --> 00:15:05,100 in addition to imaging invisible light, 283 00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:08,650 the image out into the near-infrared wavelength ranges, 284 00:15:08,650 --> 00:15:12,090 and this near-infrared lets us get a compositional picture 285 00:15:12,090 --> 00:15:16,833 of when chemistry and mineralogy are changing in the rocks. 286 00:15:17,990 --> 00:15:20,630 The rover not only works like a human 287 00:15:20,630 --> 00:15:22,870 it's designed to test new tools 288 00:15:22,870 --> 00:15:25,723 for future robotic and human exploration. 289 00:15:27,180 --> 00:15:29,460 Mounted on the body of the rover 290 00:15:29,460 --> 00:15:34,280 is the Mars Oxygen NC2 Resource Utilization Experiment. 291 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,590 Also known as MOXIE. 292 00:15:36,590 --> 00:15:41,320 MOXIE will synthesize oxygen out of the Martian atmosphere 293 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,470 to create a gas that would be breathable 294 00:15:43,470 --> 00:15:45,410 by future humans on the surface. 295 00:15:45,410 --> 00:15:48,503 And MOXIE is a demonstration of this technology. 296 00:15:49,810 --> 00:15:51,230 The Martian atmosphere 297 00:15:51,230 --> 00:15:54,273 is about 96% carbon dioxide. 298 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:59,440 MOXIE is a test to see if we can process Martian air 299 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:03,423 to make liquid oxygen for rocket fuel and for breathing. 300 00:16:05,170 --> 00:16:07,840 The idea comes from an exploration strategy 301 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:09,935 of living off the land. 302 00:16:09,935 --> 00:16:12,020 (dramatic music) 303 00:16:12,020 --> 00:16:15,200 If we can make some of our supplies in situ, 304 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:17,433 rather than having to bring everything from Earth, 305 00:16:17,433 --> 00:16:20,630 then we can reduce the cost of a human mission to Mars. 306 00:16:20,630 --> 00:16:23,670 And the chances of its sustained success 307 00:16:23,670 --> 00:16:25,023 are greatly improved. 308 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:29,080 But MOXIE's not the last engineering test 309 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:30,810 Perseverance has in store 310 00:16:30,810 --> 00:16:33,183 to further future human exploration. 311 00:16:34,130 --> 00:16:35,720 The rover has a weather station 312 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:39,260 that will keep track of wind, humidity, dust levels, 313 00:16:39,260 --> 00:16:40,470 and temperature. 314 00:16:40,470 --> 00:16:42,940 By studying the ways dust and water ice 315 00:16:42,940 --> 00:16:45,520 interact with solar radiation 316 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:47,880 this weather station will build a database 317 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:49,500 of conditions on the ground 318 00:16:49,500 --> 00:16:51,683 that'll help predict the weather or Mars. 319 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,540 Perseverance also has sample fabric swatches 320 00:16:56,540 --> 00:16:58,313 mounted on one of its instruments. 321 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:01,130 It's a test to see which fabrics 322 00:17:01,130 --> 00:17:03,303 hold up in the harsh Martian environment. 323 00:17:04,170 --> 00:17:07,410 Thanks to Perseverance, future explorers will wear 324 00:17:07,410 --> 00:17:10,760 the outfit best suited for prevailing weather conditions. 325 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:12,687 (wind whooshing) 326 00:17:12,687 --> 00:17:14,550 (tense music) 327 00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:16,890 But the rover has one more experiment 328 00:17:16,890 --> 00:17:20,240 that's as old as our dreams of exploring Mars, 329 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,710 a hitchhiker that may radically change 330 00:17:22,710 --> 00:17:24,673 the way we explore the Red Planet. 331 00:17:26,130 --> 00:17:28,100 Within 30 days of landing, 332 00:17:28,100 --> 00:17:32,260 the rover will deploy an experimental new craft, 333 00:17:32,260 --> 00:17:33,223 a helicopter. 334 00:17:35,700 --> 00:17:36,860 What we're then hoping to do 335 00:17:36,860 --> 00:17:39,400 is a series of flight tests. 336 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,070 First maybe, just up and hover. 337 00:17:42,070 --> 00:17:43,863 Then maybe up and a meter. 338 00:17:44,940 --> 00:17:48,623 Then maybe up and up to a couple tens of meters away. 339 00:17:49,530 --> 00:17:53,000 The helicopter has a camera, has two rotors, 340 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,000 and we're hoping to prove out this new technology 341 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,253 that we can fly other spacecraft on Mars. 342 00:18:00,565 --> 00:18:05,565 That we can do drone-based exploration aerially on Mars, 343 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,153 collecting pictures from above. 344 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:11,770 Its name is Ingenuity 345 00:18:13,090 --> 00:18:16,350 and if it works Mars will be the second world 346 00:18:16,350 --> 00:18:17,733 to see a first flight. 347 00:18:19,660 --> 00:18:20,800 From day one, 348 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,460 this was the unwavering dream of our team. 349 00:18:23,460 --> 00:18:26,570 To get our helicopter launched to Mars 350 00:18:26,570 --> 00:18:28,470 so that we can get that opportunity 351 00:18:28,470 --> 00:18:31,500 {\an8}to do the very first rotorcraft flight test 352 00:18:31,500 --> 00:18:33,200 {\an8}in the actual environment of Mars. 353 00:18:34,300 --> 00:18:37,228 It's extremely difficult to fly at Mars 354 00:18:37,228 --> 00:18:38,680 because the atmosphere is so thin. 355 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,680 {\an8}Compared to Earth's Mars' is less than 1%. 356 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:43,630 {\an8}So the first and foremost challenge 357 00:18:43,630 --> 00:18:47,240 {\an8}is to make a vehicle that's light enough to be lifted. 358 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:49,800 And then the second is to generate lift. 359 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:52,100 The rotor system has to spin very fast. 360 00:18:52,100 --> 00:18:54,501 2,000. 2,200. 361 00:18:54,501 --> 00:18:56,680 2,400. 2,600. 362 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,380 We're spinning between 2,000 and 3,000 363 00:18:59,380 --> 00:19:02,050 revolutions per minute and it takes a lot of energy. 364 00:19:02,050 --> 00:19:05,540 So it's that balance of a very light system 365 00:19:05,540 --> 00:19:08,570 yet having enough energy that's needed 366 00:19:08,570 --> 00:19:12,240 to spin the rotor so fast to lift. 367 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,560 You'll also see that the blades themselves 368 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,700 are much longer and their configuration is different. 369 00:19:17,700 --> 00:19:19,840 And that's because to take advantage 370 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:21,410 of the minimal amount of lift 371 00:19:21,410 --> 00:19:23,230 that's provided through Mars atmosphere, 372 00:19:23,230 --> 00:19:25,990 you have to have a much larger blade size 373 00:19:25,990 --> 00:19:28,523 for any given payload than you do on Earth. 374 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,680 Our experiment window is 30 Martian days. 375 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:39,270 So we have planned up to five flights 376 00:19:39,270 --> 00:19:41,900 of incremental difficulty. 377 00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:42,975 Very first flight, 378 00:19:42,975 --> 00:19:45,980 the main thing is we wanna get the legs off the ground. 379 00:19:45,980 --> 00:19:50,090 And so we will basically go up about three meters 380 00:19:50,090 --> 00:19:53,220 and we'll hover there and then come down again. 381 00:19:53,220 --> 00:19:57,060 And that will be the first really major milestone. 382 00:19:57,060 --> 00:19:58,100 Most of our flights will be 383 00:19:58,100 --> 00:19:59,630 {\an8}at the three to five-meter height. 384 00:19:59,630 --> 00:20:01,210 {\an8}We will be going horizontally 385 00:20:01,210 --> 00:20:03,460 {\an8}again at a few meters per second. 386 00:20:03,460 --> 00:20:06,670 So our priority will be to get back engineering telemetry 387 00:20:06,670 --> 00:20:08,130 and not so much images, 388 00:20:08,130 --> 00:20:09,830 but I'm sure we'll return a few 389 00:20:09,830 --> 00:20:11,543 because they'll obviously this look cool. 390 00:20:12,820 --> 00:20:14,020 What's really most important 391 00:20:14,020 --> 00:20:15,900 is everything we're learning here 392 00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:19,140 is for the future rotorcraft systems 393 00:20:19,140 --> 00:20:21,640 that we want to introduce it to space exploration. 394 00:20:22,877 --> 00:20:24,500 (helicopter blades whirring) 395 00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:26,210 There are unusual challenges 396 00:20:26,210 --> 00:20:27,933 to powered flight on Mars. 397 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,023 The air on Mars is indescribably thin, 398 00:20:33,910 --> 00:20:37,803 just 1% of the thickness of the atmosphere here on Earth. 399 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,810 This is offset by two things. 400 00:20:41,810 --> 00:20:45,720 The Martian atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, 401 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,800 which is a denser gas than the nitrogen, oxygen, 402 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,323 and carbon dioxide gases that make up the air on Earth. 403 00:20:53,370 --> 00:20:55,050 The lower gravity of Mars, 404 00:20:55,050 --> 00:20:58,953 just 1/3 that of Earth's, means less lift is needed. 405 00:21:02,300 --> 00:21:04,880 But there's one more constraint. 406 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:07,280 Since no humans would be around, 407 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,710 and since there's a significant lag in communication, 408 00:21:10,710 --> 00:21:13,980 Ingenuity would have to fly autonomously 409 00:21:13,980 --> 00:21:15,433 and take care of itself. 410 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,410 Ingenuity is gonna scout ahead of the rover, 411 00:21:20,410 --> 00:21:23,890 hopefully demonstrating powered flight on another planet, 412 00:21:23,890 --> 00:21:25,440 which would be awesome and cool, 413 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:27,963 and open up a whole new suite of recognizance. 414 00:21:30,020 --> 00:21:31,480 It'll be a unique moment 415 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:33,813 in the history of both Mars and Earth. 416 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:40,550 {\an8}Mars beckons us knowing that in the deep past 417 00:21:40,550 --> 00:21:43,778 {\an8}Mars may once have been an Earth-like world. 418 00:21:43,778 --> 00:21:47,810 {\an8}(gentle sweeping music) 419 00:21:47,810 --> 00:21:50,860 {\an8}I mean, I think if we find ancient life on Mars, 420 00:21:50,860 --> 00:21:53,340 it really changes everything. 421 00:21:53,340 --> 00:21:56,900 We have suddenly then learned that the universe 422 00:21:56,900 --> 00:21:59,330 does not just have one planet with life, 423 00:21:59,330 --> 00:22:00,483 that it had two. 424 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:02,440 That's tremendous. 425 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,000 And I think we would immediately continue exploring 426 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:07,400 to really try to flush out, 427 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,430 what are the implications of that? 428 00:22:09,430 --> 00:22:12,060 Did life on Mars somehow from Earth? 429 00:22:12,060 --> 00:22:15,290 Or is it an independent second genesis of life? 430 00:22:15,290 --> 00:22:17,380 And the answer to that question is really important 431 00:22:17,380 --> 00:22:20,130 because it tells us how rare or how common 432 00:22:20,130 --> 00:22:22,300 life is likely to be in the universe, 433 00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:25,060 which is I think one of the most profound questions of all. 434 00:22:25,060 --> 00:22:26,270 Are we alone? 435 00:22:26,270 --> 00:22:27,770 I don't think so. Probably not. 436 00:22:27,770 --> 00:22:30,000 There are a lot of stars and planets out there, 437 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,080 but finding life on Mars 438 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,220 would be one of the first steps in that direction 439 00:22:34,220 --> 00:22:36,860 to really understanding how much life is out there 440 00:22:36,860 --> 00:22:37,833 in our universe. 441 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:41,350 In spite of the pandemic, 442 00:22:41,350 --> 00:22:43,040 the challenges of getting to Mars, 443 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,930 and the difficulties with communication, 444 00:22:45,930 --> 00:22:48,750 and the challenges of flying in Martian air, 445 00:22:48,750 --> 00:22:51,990 if we have tenacity and perseverance, 446 00:22:51,990 --> 00:22:54,900 we may soon learn the secrets of the Red Planet 447 00:22:55,890 --> 00:22:59,743 and find out something new and good within ourselves. 448 00:23:01,577 --> 00:23:04,327 {\an8}(dramatic music) 449 00:23:17,247 --> 00:23:20,330 (suspenseful music)