NASA has installed a webcam that allows the public to get a live, bird’s-eye view of its Mars 2020 rover as it takes shape, the US space agency said. “It is great that we can share this part of our journey to the Red Planet with the public anytime they want,” said McNamee, project manager of Mars 2020. Viewers can also participate in live webchats with members of JPL’s social media team and the Mars 2020 team as they answer questions from the public about the mission. Months of final assembly and testing lie ahead before the Mars 2020 rover is ready to ship to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once the Mars 2020 rover arrives at Mars on February 18, 2021, it will not only seek signs of ancient habitable conditions — and past microbial life — but collect rock and soil samples, storing them in sample tubes on the planet’s surface.

Source: Indian Express June 11, 2019 05:01 UTC