25 Oct 2021
Catch Mars mania as a traveling exhibit visits more than a dozen towns across the U.S. with lifelike models of NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter.
While NASA’s Perseverance rover and Ingenuity Mars Helicopter are hard at work exploring Mars hundreds of millions of miles from Earth, their “twin” models will be visiting museums as part of the “Roving With Perseverance” roadshow. As big as a car, with its camera “head” rising high, Perseverance’s six-wheeled lookalike towers over most visitors, while Ingenuity’s double highlights just how small the history-making rotorcraft is. The tour begins in October at venues on the East and West Coasts, then works its way inland.
Since landing on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, Perseverance has been hunting for signs of ancient microscopic life in order to collect and store samples of Martian rock and sediment to be retrieved by planned future missions for closer study on Earth. After hitching a ride to Mars on Perseverance’s belly, the Ingenuity helicopter has completed more than a dozen short flights, not only proving that powered, controlled flight is possible on Mars, but even helping scout potential locations for Perseverance to explore.
In addition to the spacecraft models, NASA Perseverance and Ingenuity scientists and engineers will give in-person and virtual talks and answer questions at various museums. The in-person events will include live activities at three venues to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Perseverance landing on Mars. Some exhibits will include digital displays with video, latest images, and sounds from the Martian surface to provide an authentic sample of what the rover is encountering as it explores the Red Planet. Another feature at some museums will be family-friendly science exhibits, such as smaller-scale rover models and tabletop displays, rock collections, spacecraft materials, and interactive selfie stations.
All the museums are members of NASA’s Museum and Informal Education Alliance.
Those who don’t live near one of the tour stops, or who prefer to participate remotely, will be able to join live virtual events.
New tour stops and dates will be added at:
go.nasa.gov/marsrovertour
Below are confirmed tour dates for the “Roving With Perseverance” roadshow. Check this page frequently, as dates and details may change, subject to local COVID conditions.
Tour Dates:
Venues with full-size models are in bold; other venues have smaller-scale Perseverance models.
Oct. 30, 2021 – Apr. 3, 2022
- The Museum of Flight, Seattle
Oct. 30, 2021 – Mar. 15, 2022
- Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky, Hazard, Kentucky
- Challenger Learning Center of Northern Nevada, Reno, Nevada
- Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey, California
- Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, New York
- Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas
Dec. 1, 2021 – Jan. 30, 2022
- National Air and Space Museum
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia
Feb. 17, 2022 – May 30, 2022
- Exploratorium, San Francisco
Feb. 18, 2022 – June 15, 2022
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York City
March 30, 2022 – Sept. 15, 2022
- Discovery Science Center, Springfield, Missouri
March 30, 2022 – Sept. 15, 2022
- EcoExploratorio, San Juan, Puerto Rico
June 28, 2022 – Dec. 15, 2022
- Clark Planetarium, Salt Lake City
July 1, 2022 – Dec. 15, 2022
- Adler Planetarium, Chicago
[Image]
A NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie over a rock nicknamed "Rochette," on Sept. 10, 2021, the 198th Martian day, or sol of the mission. A life-size model of the rover will be rolling across the country as part of the “Roving With Perseverance” tour.