NASA Perseverance Mars rover ready for July 20th 2020 launch date

[gary]

Attached to the Perseverance Mars rover is a 8-by-13-centimetre
aluminium plate commemorating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
and which pays tribute to the perseverance of healthcare workers around
the world.

Full press release here :-
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2020-114



The Perseverance team transitioned 90% of its work to be done from homes to make the 2020 launch window.



"How NASA's Perseverance Mars Team Has Adjusted to Work in the Time of Coronavirus" :-
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7645

[cannon_gray]

Perseverance will not only study the properties of sedimentary rocks but also collect their samples in a special "cabinet" installed on board. The minerals stored in it will be returned to Earth by a special joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, which will go to the Red Planet no earlier than 2026. If I am not mistaken this is the first time the data collected by rovers will be delivered to Earth