May 21, 2026 11:09 AM
NASA’s Perseverance Rover is ready to complete a Martian marathon
For NASA's Perseverance Rover, life on Mars has been a marathon, not a sprint. For more than five years, the six-wheeled robotic explorer has been steadily traversing the Martian surface seeking signs of ancient life, studying its geology and climate, and collecting rock samples for possible return to Earth. The rover has now traveled 26.09 miles (41.99 km), just shy of the official marathon distance of 26.22 miles (42.2 km), and, according to Perseverance mission manager Robert Hogg, it will e...