{"id":23217,"date":"2020-10-30T21:38:33","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T13:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-new-perseverance-rover-is-halfway-to-mars-where-it-will-search-for-signs-of-ancient-life\/"},"modified":"2020-10-30T21:38:33","modified_gmt":"2020-10-30T13:38:33","slug":"nasas-new-perseverance-rover-is-halfway-to-mars-where-it-will-search-for-signs-of-ancient-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-new-perseverance-rover-is-halfway-to-mars-where-it-will-search-for-signs-of-ancient-life\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s new Perseverance rover is halfway to Mars where it will search for signs of ancient life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\t\"\"
\n\t<\/figure>\n

While so many of us have been staying close to home during the COVID-19 pandemic, NASA\u2019s new Perseverance rover has been zooming away from our planet in search of its new home on Mars. Percy officially reached the halfway point between Earth and Mars this week as it closes in on its search for signs of ancient life.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

NASA JPL rover navigator Julie Kangas describes the midway point where Percy just crossed:<\/p>\n

\n

NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission has logged a lot of flight miles since being lofted skyward on July 30 \u2013 146.3 million miles (235.4 million kilometers) to be exact. Turns out that is exactly the same distance it has to go before the spacecraft hits the Red Planet\u2019s atmosphere like an 11,900 mph (19,000 kph) freight train on Feb. 18, 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 1:40 p.m. Pacific Time today, our spacecraft will have just as many miles in its metaphorical rearview mirror as it will out its metaphorical windshield,\u201d said Julie Kangas, a navigator working on the Perseverance rover mission at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. \u201cWhile I don\u2019t think there will be cake, especially since most of us are working from home, it\u2019s still a pretty neat milestone. Next stop, Jezero Crater.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But it turns out \u201chalfway\u201d is a nuanced point when traveling between two moving heavenly bodies like Earth and Mars:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAlthough we\u2019re halfway into the distance we need to travel to Mars, the rover is not halfway between the two worlds,\u201d Kangas explained. \u201cIn straight-line distance, Earth is 26.6 million miles [42.7 million kilometers] behind Perseverance and Mars is 17.9 million miles [28.8 million kilometers] in front.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Named after Virginia middle schooler Alex Mather, Perseverance represents the effort required to prepare NASA\u2019s newest Mars rover for liftoff before the limited window to reach Mars from Earth closed. This work all took place in a period when engineers were required to work in smaller groups or remotely when possible.<\/p>\n

\t<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t