New York City’s most well-known constructing turned red in a single day to celebrate NASA’s Perseverance rover touchdown right this moment (Feb. 18).
The Empire State Building was illuminated from sunset Tuesday (Feb. 16) to early Wednesday morning (Feb. 17), NASA stated in an announcement and picture descriptions on the company’s Flickr stream.
“A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith,” NASA stated within the assertion.
Related: How to watch NASA’s Perseverance rover land on Mars
Live updates: NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover mission
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Perseverance will probably be a hyperlink in NASA’s hopes to ultimately deliver samples of Mars again to Earth, though that future mission is dependent upon funding, political will and ongoing worldwide discussions (the sample-return mission to date contains the European Space Agency).
If all goes to plan, pattern return may kick off within the late 2020s. Human Mars exploration will start no sooner than 2035, in accordance to NASA’s long-term plans as of 2019, however the timeline once more is dependent upon funds and priorities.
The famed New York City metal construction, which accomplished building in 1931, wasn’t the one United States constructing lit up in Mars-themed regalia for Perseverance. The Los Angeles International Airport gateway pylons will glow red by dawn Friday (Feb. 19), in accordance to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and you’ll see a picture of the pylons on the NASA Perseverance Twitter feed. JPL, the place rover operations are centered, is positioned in close by Pasadena.
They’ve lit up at @flyLAXairport as I are available for a touchdown – on Mars, that’s. I’ll be “wheels down” on the Red Planet in lower than 16 hours.Get prepared to watch on-line: https://t.co/ZeUixOuMaV #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/GULJgV8JMzFebruary 18, 2021
In Ohio, Terminal Tower in Cleveland additionally went ruddy in honor of the Red Planet, in accordance to a tweet from the NASA Glenn Research Center (Glenn can be primarily based in Cleveland). Chicago’s Adler Planetarium will flip red “all week long” in honor of Perseverance, the museum said in a tweet exhibiting the otherworldly glow peeking by all of the home windows.
#CountdownToMars is underway, and cities everywhere in the U.S. are lighting up the evening in red to celebrate @NASAPersevere because the rover prepares to land on Mars, the Red Planet, tomorrow, Feb. 18.Find methods to watch, be taught and celebrate with us:https://t.co/6nIFeMqW4I#Cleveland pic.twitter.com/rw4Oyr1kj7February 18, 2021
Editor’s word: JPL additionally invited different cities to gentle up in red to celebrate Perseverance’s touchdown. If you noticed this occur close to you and wish to share with Space.com and our news companions for a narrative or picture gallery, ship pictures and feedback to spacephotos@house.com.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.