12:15 p.m .: What are the objectives of Perseverance on Mars?
NASA has multiplied the objectives of Perseverance. The first and most important is to find traces of life. “With Curiosity, we discovered that Mars was a habitable planet: the conditions for life to develop were present in the distant past of the planet. The question to ask now is: Was Mars inhabited? », Analyzes Olivier Sanguy, from the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse.
The second is to bring samples from the red planet back to Earth. To accomplish this goal, Perseverance is only part of a very complex mission to retrieve these samples for analysis on Earth, where the devices are more efficient.
Finally, the last objective is to prepare manned missions on Mars for the longer term. Sending humans to Mars is an old dream, so far unachievable. For example, Perseverance is set to test some devices that would allow humans to make oxygen from the Martian atmosphere.
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