Perseverance is the continued effort to achieve in the face of opposition. Last Thursday, February 18th, we celebrated the landing of the aptly-named Perseverance Rover on Mars, a culmination of years of human effort and tenacity.
“The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, which will advance NASA's quest to explore the past habitability of Mars. The rover has a drill to collect core samples of Martian rock and soil, then store them in sealed tubes for pickup by a future mission that would ferry them back to Earth for detailed analysis. Perseverance will also test technologies to help pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.”- NASA – Mars 2020 Mission Overview
DSST students and staff explored the science, engineering, technology and human story behind this grand endeavor. This cosmic day of events, hosted by DSST: GVR High School teacher and NASA Solar System Ambassador Jennie King, included live footage from NASA surrounding the landing. The days’ schedule also included opportunities for in-classroom discussion and extension activities facilitated by Jennie King.