Roving with Perseverance
If at first you don’t succeed…persevere!
About
This Roving with Perseverance display allows guests to see full-scale replicas of the NASA Perseverance Mars Rover and Ingenuity Helicopter up close. The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The mission addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars.
While the real-life technological marvels are at work hundreds of millions of miles away exploring Mars, these life-sized “twin” models will be on display inside the McDonnell Planetarium for a full year to help demonstrate the scale and technology required for space exploration.
This display is FREE and is located in the lobby area of the McDonnell Planetarium.
LEAVING 1.5.2025
Inside the Display:
Perseverance Rover
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landed on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. Perseverance is the most sophisticated rover NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet, with a name that embodies NASA’s passion, and our nation’s capability, to take on and overcome challenges. It will collect carefully selected and documented rock and sediment samples for future return to Earth, search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet’s geology and climate, and pave the way for human exploration beyond the Moon.
What sets this explorer apart?
- Perseverance is searching for signs of ancient life.
- The rover is landing in a place with a high potential for finding these signs of past microbial life.
- Perseverance is also collecting important data about Mars’ geology and climate.
- The Perseverance rover embodies the NASA – and the scientific – spirit of overcoming challenges.
- Perseverance is the first leg of a round trip to Mars.
- Perseverance carries instruments and technology that will help pave the way for future human missions to the Moon and Mars.
- You will get to ride along – there are 19 cameras on the rover!
Ingenuity Helicopter
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is the first aircraft humanity has sent to another planet to attempt powered, controlled flight. If its experimental flight test program succeeds, the data returned could benefit future explorations of the Red Planet – including those by astronauts – by adding the aerial dimension, which is not available today.
What sets this explorer apart?
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- Ingenuity is an experimental flight test.
- Ingenuity will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet – a feat with a high degree of difficulty.
- Ingenuity relies upon the Mars 2020 Perseverance spacecraft for safe passage to Mars and for operations on the Red Planet’s surface
- Ingenuity is smart for a small robot.
- Ingenuity has already demonstrated feats of engineering.
- The Ingenuity team counts success one step at a time.
- If Ingenuity succeeds, future Mars exploration could include an ambitious aerial dimension.
Explore More
Rover Updates
Read the BlogBlog updates written by Mars Perseverance mission team members.
Raw Images from Mars
View NowHere’s the Image of the Week as voted on by the public. Check out the latest raw images below, and “Like” your favorites. Come back at the beginning of the week to see the public’s favorite.
Sounds of Mars
Listen NowEver wonder how you would sound on Mars? Grab your headset, turn up the volume and listen for the subtle differences between the sounds on Earth versus how they would sound on the Red Planet. Then, try the Mars Playlist to hear actual recordings from the Red Planet, as captured by the two microphones onboard the Mars Perseverance rover.
Mars Weather Report from Perseverance
See the Daily ConditionsPerseverance is taking regular weather measurements at Jezero Crater, in the Isidis Planitia region of Mars’ northern hemisphere. The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) measures and provides daily and seasonal reports on atmospheric pressure, humidity, ultraviolet radiation at the Martian surface, air temperature, and ground temperature around the rover. Read more about the MEDA weather station.
Send Your Name to Mars
Sign Up HereMissed your chance to fly with Perseverance? Send Your Name to Mars on NASA’s next flight to the Red Planet.
Mars Rock Samples
View Rock SamplesLearn more about the diverse set of samples the rover has collected, which could one day be returned to Earth by Mars Sample Return.
Explore with Perseverance
View Interactive ExperienceOnce Perseverance had dropped off its backup sample depot on the floor of Jezero Crater, the rover began climbing up onto the large fan of material that was carried by flowing water into the area billions of years ago. In satellite images taken from Mars orbit, the mission team had spied curved rock beds thought to have been deposited by a meandering river. Sent to investigate, Perseverance found another good location for sampling Mars.
Location Map for Perseverance
View MapExplore Jezero Crater using this interactive map that lets you zoom in and see where the Perseverance rover is located.
Visit
Membership does more.
As a nonprofit, the Saint Louis Science Center relies on memberships, donations and ticket sales to support free exhibits like Roving with Perseverance, our education programs, community outreach and daily operation.
If you’d like to support the Science Center’s mission, learn more about membership, make a one-time gift in support of the Science Center, or get tickets to see a show.
Accessibility
The Roving with Perseverance is accessible to visitors with disabilities, as well as visitors with strollers, scooters, and walkers. Elevators and ramps serve all public areas.
