The Mars mission and the future of commercial space travel

NASA's rover Perseverance is on Mars searching for evidence of ancient life. What would it mean if we found it? And, where is the growing commercial space industry headed?

Air Date: March 12, 2021 10:00 am

This photo made available by NASA was taken during the first drive of the Perseverance rover on Mars on Thursday, March 4, 2021. Perseverance landed on Feb. 18, 2021. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

The NASA’s Perseverance took its first drive across the Martian landscape a week ago to test its mobility and instruments. After landing last month, the rover has already begun its mission to probe for ancient microbial life in Jezero Crater. This hour, we turn our minds to outer space and talk about the Mars mission and the search for life on the Red Planet. We’re joined by KENNETH WILLIFORD, deputy project scientist for the NASA Mars 2020 mission, and KENNDA LYNCH, Universities Space Research Association staff scientist and astrobiologist. Then — ticket to outer space anyone? We’ll end our hour looking at the rise of the commercial space industry, where it’s headed and how soon it will be open to tourists with TIM FERNHOLZ, author of Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the New Space Race

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