NASA Mars Rover and Helicopter models to go on national tour

Catch Mars mania as a traveling exhibit visits more than a dozen towns across the U.S. with lifelike models of NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter.

While NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter are hard at work exploring Mars hundreds of millions of miles from Earth, their “twin” models will be visiting museums as part of the “Roving With Perseverance” roadshow.

As big as a car, with its camera “head” rising high, Perseverance’s six-wheeled lookalike towers over most visitors, while Ingenuity’s double highlights just how small the history-making rotorcraft is. The tour begins in October at venues on the East and West Coasts, then works its way inland.

Since landing on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, Perseverance has been hunting for signs of ancient microscopic life in order to collect and store samples of Martian rock and sediment to be retrieved by planned future missions for closer study on Earth.

After hitching a ride to Mars on Perseverance’s belly, the Ingenuity helicopter has completed more than a dozen short flights, not only proving that powered, controlled flight is possible on Mars, but even helping scout potential locations for Perseverance to explore.

In addition to the spacecraft models, NASA Perseverance and Ingenuity scientists and engineers will give in-person and virtual talks and answer questions at various museums. The in-person events will include live activities at three venues to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Perseverance landing on Mars.

Some exhibits will include digital displays with video, latest images, and sounds from the Martian surface to provide an authentic sample of what the rover is encountering as it explores the Red Planet. Another feature at some museums will be family-friendly science exhibits, such as smaller-scale rover models and tabletop displays, rock collections, spacecraft materials, and interactive selfie stations.

Those who don’t live near one of the tour stops, or who prefer to participate remotely, will be able to join live virtual events.

New tour stops and dates will be added here

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Tags: Mars