NASA rover arrives on Mars - 24th February 2021

NASA scientists have landed a rover on Mars.

The rover is called Perseverance. Scientists are using it to explore the red planet. They are trying to discover if there was life on Mars in the past.

The rover landed in the north of Mars. Scientists are already receiving photos of the area from the rover. The scientists think the area was a river in the past. Water is needed for life to survive.

Perseverance carries a lot of equipment to help scientists learn about Mars. One piece of equipment is very special - a helicopter.

NASA scientist Steve Jurcyzk is excited about the helicopter.

Steve Jurczyk: "This mission also has technology on it. One of the cool things is the Ingenuity helicopter. It's, it’s an experiment on this mission. But if it's successful, we can use it as an observation, science observation platform by putting instruments on it, and also use it as a scout for future rover missions."

MiMi Aung is the project manager for the helicopter.

MiMi Aung: "This is super exciting. Know we have been working on Mars helicopter for over six years, testing and carefully designing it for operation at Mars. So what's going through my mind? Ingenuity Mars helicopter is finally at the destination that it is designed for!"

Perseverance will also try to change the air on Mars. This could be helpful for future trips to the planet.

A Chinese rover will join Perseverance on Mars soon. Tianwen-1 is expected to land on Mars in May.