<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">Hi all, </font></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" class=""><font size="4" class=""> Good afternoon from Florida….a new month tomorrow, time continues to go so fast….I am always so thankful and appreciative of each day…so many struggle with the basics and the pandemic hurts those who have the least, the most…everything is focused on the landing of Perseverance, Feb 18th….I love living here because of the weather, beaches, Kennedy Space Center, and NASA TV which we get daily…it offers so much insight into the day to day activities on the ISS as well as every facet of current and future missions…now we are seeing so many amazing videos & graphics of the landing….I hope you will all be able to enroll in the many links NASA has to follow along…maybe even make some class projects to bring the kids together even though so many are going virtually…the pandemic is still in control, we have it open in Florida, many areas around the world don’t…but we are struggling to get it under control…I think for kids and teachers…it is especially difficult…for the students who struggle, I think it is the most challenging…it will be wonderful to get back to some normalcy for schools with all kids attending…and at some point allow visitors…to all of you reading this, every one…teachers, students, friends…the time visiting school is, without a doubt, the most magical time in my life…because of you and what we shared…equally…to all…I only hope I have brightened your life as you have mine…I will try to send a few more newsletters as the landing gets closer or if something significant occurs...</font></font><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""><span class="">we have to stay positive and always be thankful…</span> remembering to do our best, enjoy everything we do, believe in ourselves, and let those we care about most know (I always say this, we all need to take it to heart) …hugs & smiles... :-) :-) STAY SAFE, TAKE CARE, Love ya, Gabe</font></div><blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:4A82E803-5122-4839-B071-9853235C4465@educatemotivate.com" class=""><div dir="auto" class=""><div class=""><div class=""><span class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""></div></div></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="5" class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></font></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" class=""><font size="5" style="font-weight: bold;" class="">THE SADDEST DAY IN THE HISTORY OF NASA’S SPACE PROGRAM… </font><font size="4" class="">Teacher, Christa McAuliffe, the first non astronaut to go to space was so special…she brought us all along as she </font></font><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">trained giving us insight as to what it is like to be a “real person” on the adventure of a lifetime…it was easy to see why she was selected for NASA’s Teacher in Space Mission…she brought a different kind of life, enthusiasm, excitement, and wonder to the space program…we followed along and were so looking forward to her lessons from space…she was with the crew of Challenger on the tragic day of January 28th, 1986. So many of the schools in Florida gave the kids and teachers permission to go outside to watch…it was huge event…I can’t imagine what the teachers had to deal with as they had to try to maintain composure while also trying to explain to the kids what they saw...</font></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: rgb(5, 5, 5); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">On January 27, 1967, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee perished in a fire during a pre-launch test for what was to be the first crewed Apollo mission.</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: rgb(5, 5, 5); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> </span></font></div><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: rgb(5, 5, 5); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">On January 28, 1986, the launch of STS-51-L ended in tragedy when Space Shuttle Challenger and crew were lost 73 seconds after liftoff. Crew of STS-51-L: Ellison Onizuka, Mike Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair, and Judith Resnik. </span><br style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: rgb(5, 5, 5);" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: rgb(5, 5, 5); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">On February 1, 2003, the seven-astronaut crew of STS-107 was lost when Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry. The crew of STS-107: David M. Brown, Rick D. Husband, Laurel B. Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, William C. McCool, Ilan Ramon</span></font><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><img data-visualcompletion="media-vc-image" alt="May be an image of 1 person and smiling" class="ji94ytn4 r9f5tntg r0294ipz d2edcug0" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" apple-inline="yes" id="E4D1A920-B6D7-4F4B-A1D0-A098BE82B4C0" src="cid:12A18A4B-9949-4B8F-926F-E06CB9E90201"><img data-visualcompletion="media-vc-image" alt="May be an image of 17 people and people smiling" class="ji94ytn4 r9f5tntg r0294ipz d2edcug0" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" apple-inline="yes" id="01BDAF0C-66AF-4AAD-B4E0-CFB52FCC81F6" src="cid:19355A2F-9162-4CA6-8856-9C2DF990F228"></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><h1 class="title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2.2em; margin: 0px; font-family: "Titillium Web", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">NASA’s Perseverance Rover 22 Days From Mars Landing</h1><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="normaltextrun"><b class=""><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">WATCH: Perseverance Land on Mars, February 18<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><span class="normaltextrun"><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">Atmosphere, parachutes, descent, oh my! Join NASA as the Mars Perseverance Rover slows from over 12,000 mph to landing on Mars in just over seven minutes of suspense and excitement on Thursday, February 18 at 3:30 p.m. EST. Commentary will begin at 2:15 p.m. EST.<o:p class=""></o:p></font></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><span class="normaltextrun"><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""> </font></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""><span class="normaltextrun">Don’t miss a minute by </span><a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventbrite.com%2Fe%2Fnasas-perseverance-rover-mars-landing-registration-137598182869&data=04%7C01%7Cmegan.v.keener%40nasa.gov%7C4f79f1f1b5e148350d1e08d8c2eb9594%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637473664365739095%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=EeocW9an81cPi3kqWNHPzfcaEf6qomWAXuhBUYZHsl4%3D&reserved=0" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">registering for email updates</a> (use this method for a virtual passport stamp!)<span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color: red;" class=""> </span>or <span style="color: red;" class=""><a href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffb.me%2Fe%2F1w1VEvSQy&data=04%7C01%7Cmegan.v.keener%40nasa.gov%7C4f79f1f1b5e148350d1e08d8c2eb9594%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637473664365739095%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=WVKp%2BHAgaklpbRQyuUoFClvesuAur2XbmM5pFna%2Bmjc%3D&reserved=0" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">joining the Facebook group</a> </span>to learn more about opportunities to participate and curated resources.</span></font><font face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><img typeof="foaf:Image" alt="Events that occur in the final minutes of the nearly seven-month journey" title="" apple-inline="yes" id="77588A53-B01B-437F-8525-F3A08C01482D" src="cid:718280A7-B220-4B91-B6B6-3986C7F4E90F" class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="type-image dnd-atom-wrapper context-full_width" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: table; margin: 0px auto 2em;"><div class="dnd-legend-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="caption" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">This illustration shows the events that occur in the final minutes of the nearly seven-month journey that NASA’s Perseverance rover takes to Mars. Hundreds of critical events must execute perfectly and exactly on time for the rover to land on Mars safely on Feb. 18, 2021.</font></div><div class="credits" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech</font></div><div class="link" style="font-size: 11px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; box-sizing: border-box; background-image: inherit; background-size: inherit; background-attachment: inherit; background-origin: inherit; background-clip: inherit; padding: 0px;"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><em style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">Seven minutes of harrowing descent to the Red Planet is in the not-so-distant future for the agency’s Mars 2020 mission. </font></em></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is just 22 days from landing on the surface of Mars. The spacecraft has about 25.6 million miles (41.2 million kilometers) remaining in its 292.5-million-mile (470.8-million-kilometer) journey and is currently closing that distance at 1.6 miles per second (2.5 kilometers per second). Once at the top of the Red Planet’s atmosphere, an action-packed seven minutes of descent awaits – complete with temperatures equivalent to the surface of the Sun, a supersonic parachute inflation, and the first ever autonomous guided landing on Mars. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: inherit; line-height: 1.4em;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">For more about Perseverance: <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(66, 139, 202);" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><a href="http://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/" class="">mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/</a></span> </strong><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(66, 139, 202);" class=""><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><a href="http://nasa.gov/perseverance" class="">nasa.gov/perseverance</a></span> </strong></font></p></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="5" class=""><b class=""><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-perseverance-rover-22-days-from-mars-landing" class="">https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-perseverance-rover-22-days-from-mars-landing</a> </b></font></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""></div><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font size="4" face="Gill Sans" class=""><a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/" class="">https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/</a> </font><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><figure style="max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: gray; font-size: smaller; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><div class="alignCenter"><div class="contentImageCentered" style="vertical-align: top; width: 664.625px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important;"><div id="mars2020-sky-crane" class="contentImageInner slidingCaption" style="width: 664.625px; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; position: relative; line-height: 1em; padding: 0px !important;"><div class="imageGrayBorder positionRelative" style="position: relative;"><span class="captionText"><img alt="Perseverance's Sky Crane Maneuver" class="modImg" style="border: none; margin: 0px auto;" apple-inline="yes" id="2ABAC63E-ECD8-4B69-B601-074B8B942D5F" src="cid:D2742C17-108D-467F-BA66-982911BBB818"></span></div></div></div></div></figure><h1 style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -1.2px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: 500; font-size: 1.8em; padding: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">Ways to Use this Toolkit</h1><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" class="">On Feb. 18, 2021, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover makes its final descent to the Red Planet. Here are some of the ways you can take part in this landing.</p><h2 style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">Now through February 2021:</h2><ul class="general list" style="list-style-type: none; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><li style="margin-top: 0px;" class=""><a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/resources/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">Get Your Landing Resources</span></a><br class="">Posters, stickers, fact sheets, mission patches and more.</li><li style="margin-top: 10px;" class=""><a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">Ways To Participate</span></a><br class="">Try the Photo Booth, Send Your Name on the next mission to Mars, and check out other interactive experiences.</li><li style="margin-top: 10px;" class=""><a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/watch-online/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">Watch Online</span></a><br class="">Our quick guide to the TV programs coming up you can watch online.</li><li style="margin-top: 10px;" class=""><a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/mission-to-mars-student-challenge/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">Mission to Mars Student Challenge</span></a><br class="">Get Mars-related webcasts for learners of all ages, along with lessons and activities for students.</li></ul><h2 style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">On Landing Day, Feb. 18, 2021:</h2><ul class="general list" style="list-style-type: none; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><li style="margin-top: 0px;" class=""><a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/watch-online/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">Tune in to Watch Live</span></a><br class="">The NASA TV broadcast from Mission Control starts at <span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">11:15 a.m. PST/2:15 p.m. EST</span>.</li></ul><h2 style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">After Landing:</h2><ul class="general list" style="list-style-type: none; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"><li style="margin-top: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-weight: 600;" class="">Explore Mars with Perseverance</span><br class="">As the rover begins its mission at Jezero Crater, visit the <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class="">mission website</a>for the latest news and images every day.</li></ul><h2 style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">The Perseverance Rover Landing </h2><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" class="">Perseverance will touch down on Mars on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, at approximately 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST). During landing, the rover plunges through the thin Martian atmosphere, with the heat shield first, at a speed of over 12,000 mph (about 20,000 kph). A parachute and powered descent slow the rover down to about 2 mph (three-fourths of a meter per second). A large sky crane then lowers the rover on three bridle cords to land softly on six wheels. Landing on Mars is hard. Read all about the rover’s harrowing <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/entry-descent-landing/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class="">entry, descent and landing</a>.</p><h2 style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: normal; font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class="">Landing at Jezero Crater</h2><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" class="">The rover’s new home is <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class="">Jezero Crater</a>, a large impact crater about 28 miles wide (45 kilometers wide) just north of the Martian equator. Jezero once contained a lake, which scientists think is one of the most ideal places to find evidence of ancient microbial life. If life exists anywhere else in our solar system, chances are, it might be at Jezero Crater. The main question Perseverance is trying to answer is: Was there ever ancient life on Mars? To answer that question, the rover will collect and store the most compelling rock and soil samples for return to Earth by a future mission. Once on Earth, scientists can use a variety of sophisticated instruments, many of them too large and bulky to transport to Mars, to help answer this question.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Montserrat, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;" class=""><b class="">Landing on Mars is Hard</b> Landing on Mars is challenging. Only about 40 percent of the missions ever sent to Mars – by any space agency - have been successful. Perseverance is only the fifth NASA rover to attempt landing on Mars. Will you be watching? Tune in to our <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/news/watch-online/" style="color: rgb(74, 151, 225); text-decoration: none;" class="">Watch Online</a> page.</p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><header style="margin: 30px 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><h1 style="font-size: 28px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 34px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">NASA's Mars rover Perseverance is in the home stretch of its journey to Red Planet</h1><div class="byline-social" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both;" class="">By <span class="no-wrap by-author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/author/mike-wall" rel="author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162);" class=""><span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Mike Wall</span> - <span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Space.com Senior Writer</span></a></span> <time itemprop="datePublished" class="no-wrap chunk relative-date" datetime="2021-01-29T12:35:15Z" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 1ex 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">2 days ago</time></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><nav class="box socialite-widget less-space " data-contexturl="https://www.livescience.com/mars-rover-perseverance-home-stretch-to-landing.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; float: left; clear: both; width: 602px;"><ul class="socialite-widget-ul" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: top; list-style: none; display: inline-block; zoom: 1;"><li class="socialite-widget-item" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline-block; zoom: 1; width: 24px; height: 24px;"></li><div class="box" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; float: left; clear: both; width: 602px;"><picture style="font-size: 16px; font-family: "Open Sans";" class=""><source type="image/webp" alt="An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><source type="image/jpeg" alt="An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-320-80.jpg" alt="An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uohAYFTm4Tx7ADpsJP2B5c.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; width: 602px;"></picture><div class="caption-text" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.</font></div><div class="credit" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">(Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech)</font></div></div></ul></nav></div></div></header><section class="content-wrapper" style="margin: 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible;"><div itemprop="articleBody" id="article-body" class="bodyCopy auto text-copy" style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; position: relative; word-break: break-word;"><div itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">The long deep-space journey of NASA's next Mars rover is nearly over. </font><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">The car-size <a href="https://www.space.com/perseverance-mars-2020-rover.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/perseverance-mars-2020-rover.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Perseverance rover</u></a>, which launched on July 30 of last year, is scheduled to land inside the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater on Feb. 18. </font><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-family: "Gill Sans"; font-size: large;" class="">"I am thrilled to be here today as our countdown to Mars winds down from months to just weeks," Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said during a news conference on Wednesday (Jan. 27). "Perseverance is closing in on the Red Planet, and our team is preparing for her to touch down in</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-family: "Gill Sans"; font-size: large;" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.space.com/42754-nasa-mars-rover-2020-landing-site-video-tour.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/42754-nasa-mars-rover-2020-landing-site-video-tour.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-family: "Gill Sans"; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Jezero Crater</u></a><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-family: "Gill Sans"; font-size: large;" class="">."</span></p><div class="">SEE PERSEVERANCE LAND ON MARS</div><div class=""><a href="https://www.livescience.com/mars-rover-perseverance-home-stretch-to-landing.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=LST_Newsletter&utm_content=LST_Newsletter+&utm_term=2868862&m_i=iJBhtC6vR+DmLROID+4f48lLkYhdbs9ZVTd7Fjbb65jDtBLtiDX7k926XxpPbRV0eD+1_nmYwS_rK72FsFppAvkRUQYxjaoKRt453nSiiK" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">https://www.livescience.com/mars-rover-perseverance-home-stretch-to-landing.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=LST_Newsletter&utm_content=LST_Newsletter+&utm_term=2868862&m_i=iJBhtC6vR%2BDmLROID%2B4f48lLkYhdbs9ZVTd7Fjbb65jDtBLtiDX7k926XxpPbRV0eD%2B1_nmYwS_rK72FsFppAvkRUQYxjaoKRt453nSiiK</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""> </span></div><div class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><p style="font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Perseverance is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission, which will break new ground in Red Planet exploration. For example, the rover will hunt for evidence of ancient <a href="https://www.space.com/17135-life-on-mars.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/17135-life-on-mars.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Mars life</u></a> on the floor of Jezero, which hosted a lake and a river delta billions of years ago. No previous Red Planet robot has done such work (though NASA's twin Viking landers, which touched down in 1976, did look for signs of extant organisms).</p><div id="ad-unit-2" class="ad-unit" style="font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"></div><div class="slot-double-height-9-1047" data-feat-ref="bordeaux-feat-id-43" style="font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); position: relative; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0%; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; height: 0px;"></div><p style="font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">It will probably be difficult for Perseverance to make a definitive detection of ancient life, if it indeed existed, mission team members have said. But another pioneering aspect of the rover's mission could enable this longed-for breakthrough, if Perseverance's on-site observations alone don't suffice.</p><div class="slot-double-height-8-743" data-feat-ref="bordeaux-feat-id-44" style="font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); position: relative; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0%; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; height: 0px;"></div><p style="font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Perseverance will kick off humanity's first-ever Mars sample-return effort. The robot will collect and cache several dozen samples, which a joint NASA-European Space Agency campaign will <a href="https://www.space.com/mars-sample-return-plan-nasa-esa.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/mars-sample-return-plan-nasa-esa.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">haul to Earth as early as 2031</u></a>. </p></div></div></section></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class=""><header class="entry-header clearfix" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 class="entry-title" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0.625rem; border: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.3; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing says assembly complete on first set of new space station solar arrays</h1><div style="margin: 0.625rem 0px 0px; padding: 5px 10px; border-width: 1px 0px; border-top-style: dotted; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-top-color: rgb(235, 235, 235); border-bottom-color: rgb(235, 235, 235); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(151, 151, 151);" class=""><span class="entry-meta-date updated" style="margin: 0px 15px 0px 0px; 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vertical-align: baseline; display: inline-block; text-rendering: auto; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></span></span></a></div></div><figure id="attachment_49591" class="alignnone wp-caption" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 1.25rem 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; width: 1200px;"><img class="size-full wp-image-49591 lazy-loaded lazy" data-lazy-type="image" data-lazy-src="https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa.jpg" alt="" data-lazy-srcset="https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa.jpg 1200w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa-300x169.jpg 300w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa-768x432.jpg 768w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa-678x381.jpg 678w" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" srcset="https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa.jpg 1200w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa-300x169.jpg 300w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa-768x432.jpg 768w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/High-res_ISS_Rosa-678x381.jpg 678w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: bottom; max-width: 100%;" apple-inline="yes" id="3AE5AA2D-98AB-4453-8402-81A94C122AB5" src="cid:90325491-DC8C-4A7A-9FF4-6F04F5238D86"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.4; vertical-align: baseline;">An artist’s concept shows the International Space Station with new solar arrays in place. Credit: Boeing</figcaption></figure><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Engineers from Boeing and a team of subcontractors have finished building the first pair of six new solar arrays to bolster the International Space Station’s aging electrical system ahead of their launch to the orbiting outpost as soon as May aboard SpaceX’s next Cargo Dragon mission.</p><div id="mnet_video_div" data-google-query-id="CJvbx4DSxu4CFdLTKAUd65sHkQ" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""></div><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Astronauts will begin a series of spacewalks as soon as the end of January to ready the space station’s solar array truss for the arrival of the new wings, among other outfitting and maintenance tasks.</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">The six new solar array wings will be installed over the space station’s existing U.S. solar panels, which were designed for 15-year service lives. The oldest of the station’s current solar arrays — built by Lockheed Martin — launched in 2000, with more pairs of wings added in 2006, 2007, and 2009.</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">The older solar arrays are showing some signs of degradation, as expected, according to NASA.</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">The space station has eight power channels, each drawing from one solar array wing mounted to the research lab’s long truss structure. Six of those channels will get an upgrade with the new solar arrays supplied by Boeing, Deployable Space Systems, and a team of subcontractors.</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">The six solar array wings, coupled with 24 new lithium-ion batteries launched to the station on a series of Japanese resupply missions, will help ensure the lab’s power system can support continued operations through 2030.</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">The six new solar panels will be one of the most visible changes to the space station’s appearance since NASA completed assembly of the outpost a decade ago. Two small commercial modules from Bigelow Aerospace and Nanoracks have been attached to the station in recent years, and new modules from Russia and the commercial company Axiom are scheduled for launch in the next few years.</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">“From a visual standpoint, it’s big,” said John Mulholland, ISS vice president and program manager at Boeing, which provides engineering support for the station under contract with NASA. “With the new batteries that we developed and deployed last year, that really solidifies the power going forward for at least the next decade.”</p><p style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 1.25rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">The six new solar array wings will launch two at a time inside canisters stowed in the trunks of SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsules. Astronauts will head outside on spacewalks to assist the the lab’s Canadian-built robotic arm in mounting and configuring the wings for deployment.</p><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><img class="size-full lazy-loaded wp-image-49593 lazy" data-lazy-type="image" data-lazy-src="https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly.jpg" alt="" data-lazy-srcset="https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly.jpg 1200w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly-300x240.jpg 300w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly-768x615.jpg 768w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly-678x543.jpg 678w" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" srcset="https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly.jpg 1200w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly-300x240.jpg 300w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly-768x615.jpg 768w, https://mk0spaceflightnoa02a.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/irosa-wing-1-assembly-678x543.jpg 678w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" apple-inline="yes" id="E585928F-37CF-4003-9309-9B43689CE3C5" src="cid:76FD8213-E070-4FCE-9885-6FAD7D3DCF84"></div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""><header style="font-size: 16px; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 30px 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><h1 style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 34px; font-size: 28px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Largest sea on Titan could be more than 1,000 feet deep</h1><div class="byline-social" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both;" class="">By <span class="no-wrap by-author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/author/elizabeth-howell" rel="author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Elizabeth Howell</span> - <span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Live Science Contributor</span></a></span> <time itemprop="datePublished" class="no-wrap chunk relative-date" datetime="2021-01-25T13:28:29Z" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 1ex 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">6 days ago</time></div></div></header><section class="content-wrapper" style="margin: 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><div class="box" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; float: left; clear: both; width: 602px;"><picture style="font-size: 16px; font-family: "Open Sans";" class=""><source type="image/webp" alt="An artist's depiction of a sea on Saturn's moon Titan." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><source type="image/jpeg" alt="An artist's depiction of a sea on Saturn's moon Titan." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-320-80.jpg" alt="An artist's depiction of a sea on Saturn's moon Titan." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5h8TBC8kaywH85WsRq6bRL.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; width: 602px;"></picture><div class="caption-text" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">An artist's depiction of a sea on Saturn's moon Titan.</font></div><div class="credit" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">(Image: © NASA/John Glenn Research Center)</font></div></div><div itemprop="articleBody" id="article-body" class="bodyCopy auto text-copy" style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; position: relative; word-break: break-word;"><div itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">NASA's epic <a href="https://www.space.com/17754-cassini-huygens.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/17754-cassini-huygens.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Cassini mission</u></a> at Saturn is still generating valuable scientific data more than three years after its demise.</font></p><div id="ad-unit-1" class="ad-unit" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">Data from one of the spacecraft's last flybys of <a href="https://www.space.com/15257-titan-saturn-largest-moon-facts-discovery-sdcmp.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/15257-titan-saturn-largest-moon-facts-discovery-sdcmp.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Titan</u></a>, a large moon with the precursors of life's chemistry, reveals that a huge lake on the surface called Kraken Mare is more than 1,000 feet ( 300 meters) deep — that's roughly the equivalent of the height of New York City's Chrysler Building. In fact, the lake is so deep that Cassini's radar couldn't probe all the way to the bottom.</font></p><aside class="hawk-placeholder" data-render-type="fte" data-skip="dealsy" data-widget-type="seasonal" data-widget-id="8091582057565751000" data-result="missing" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; --trd-blue: #2f6e91; width: 602px; position: relative; --black: #000; --white: #fff; --yellow: #ffd800; --green: #3c8d0d; --orange: #ff6f28; --red: red; --pink: #e6248a; --light-blue: #97edfc; --mid-grey: #333; --light-grey: #eaeaea; --grey: #adadad; --dark-grey: #545454; --light-mid-grey: #ccc; --prime-blue: #00aeef; --prime-green: #eaf7e9; --lighter-mid-grey: #ebebeb; --game-platform-grey: #dbddde; --amazon-orange: #ffce00; --amazon-prime-day-blue: #70b7d9; --error-red: #f33f3f; --playstation-blue: #003791; --playstation-white: #fff; --xbox-green: #107c10; --nintendo-red: #e60012; --trd-pink: #e6248a; --trd-light-pink: #ea489d; --trd-grey: #ededed; --trd-dark-grey: #333; --trd-dark-blue: #315062; --rose-gold: #b76e79; --pc-orange: #ff8201; --site-color: #5aaf0b; --heading-color: #2f6e91; --tab-color: var(--trd-blue); --cc-border-color: var(--light-mid-grey); --cc-filters-title-color: var(--black); --expanded-row-color: var(--trd-blue); --expanded-row-box-shadow: 4px 4px 20px var(--expanded-row-color); --toggle-color: var(--trd-blue); --toggle-switch-color: var(--trd-blue); --editors-pick-background-color: #ededed; --editors-pick-promo-color: var(--trd-blue); --editors-pick-promo-rgba-color: rgba(47,110,145,0.3); --editors-pick-voucher-background-color: #e6248a; --model-options-filter-color: var(--pink); --filter-border-color: #c1c1c1; --filter-hover-border-color: #535353; --filter-selected-hover-border-color: #666; --review-filters-border-color: var(--filter-border-color); --countdown-in-progress-color: var(--trd-pink); --rows-background-color: var(--white); --mpu-header-height: 19px; --mpu-header-background: none; --mpu-header-padding: 10px 0; --hawk-footer-background: var(--trd-grey); --hawk-footer-game-platform-border: solid 1px var(--game-platform-grey); --site-logo-width: 100%; --site-logo-max-width: none; --hawk-tab-text-color: #666; --hawk-tab-background: #d6d6d6; --review-background: var(--trd-grey); --review-rows-background: var(--white); --review-peacock-background: var(--white); --product-label-background: var(--light-grey); --product-label-text-color: var(--black); --seasonal-event-grey: #797979; --seasonal-event-dark-grey: #313131; --seasonal-event-merchants-background: var(--white); --game-platform-background: transparent; --price-widget-padding: none; --price-widget-border-bottom: none; --postcode-entry-button-color: var(--site-color); --was-price-text-color: #848484; --was-price-promo-color: #be0707; --was-price-light-promo-color: #ededed; --was-price-light-promo-text-color: #be0707; --dotw-header-border-top: 1px solid #ddd; --dotw-header-border-bottom: 4px solid #006ea9; --dotw-toggle-background-color: #1b1b1b; --dotw-search-input-border-color: #ddd; --dotw-header-background: transparent; --dotw-header-text-color: var(--black); --shopping-partners-header-background-color: #f26722; --hover-panel-color: orange; --tv-channels-display-label-color: #696969; --user-input-color: #c1c1c1; --user-input-hover-color: #535353; --user-input-input-background: #f2f2f2; --user-input-input-error-color: #838383; --radio-button-color: #c1c1c1; --checkbox-color: #c1c1c1; --range-filter-shadow-color: #a9a9a9; --range-filter-background-color: var(--site-color); --index-color: #999; --comparison-load-more-background-color: #262626; --pre-order-promise-color: #aaa; --description-hover-background: #cac7c7; --display-price-code-color: var(--site-color); --merchant-link-mona-background-color: var(--site-color); --merchant-link-mona-text-color: inherit; --mona-site-font-family: inherit; --shop-filter-button-background-color: var(--trd-blue); --shop-filter-button-text-color: var(--white); --pagination-button-selected-background-color: var(--trd-blue); --deal-widget-border-color: #ddd; --deal-hero-promo-background: #e6248a; --deal-hero-promo-color: #fff; --deal-hero-promo-background-progressive: transparent; --deal-hero-promo-color-progressive: #d21f26;"></aside><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">Back in 2014, preliminary data from this flyby suggested that <a href="https://www.space.com/27725-saturn-moon-titan-sea-depth.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/27725-saturn-moon-titan-sea-depth.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Kraken Mare was at least 115 feet (35 meters) deep but extend farther</u></a>; the newly released results show the lake is nearly 10 times deeper than that early estimate.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Related: </span><a href="https://www.space.com/41217-saturn-moon-titan-cassini-infrared-photos.html" data-url="https://www.space.com/41217-saturn-moon-titan-cassini-infrared-photos.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;"><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: 600; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Dazzling views show Saturn moon Titan's surface like never before</span></u></a></font></p></div></section></div><div class=""><header style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 30px 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><h1 style="font-size: 28px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 34px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">NASA finally makes contact with Voyager 2 after longest radio silence in 30 years</h1><div class="byline-social" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both;" class="">By <span class="no-wrap by-author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/author/peter-dockrill" rel="author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Peter Dockrill</span> - <span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">ScienceAlert</span></a></span> <time itemprop="datePublished" class="no-wrap chunk relative-date" datetime="2020-11-05T12:46:07Z" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 1ex 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">November 05, 2020</time></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><nav class="box socialite-widget less-space " data-contexturl="https://www.livescience.com/nasa-makes-contact-voyager-2-long-radio-silence.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; float: left; clear: both; width: 602px;"><ul class="socialite-widget-ul" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: top; list-style: none; display: inline-block; zoom: 1;"><li class="socialite-widget-item" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline-block; zoom: 1; width: 24px; height: 24px;"></li><div class="box" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; float: left; clear: both; width: 602px;"><picture style="font-size: 16px; font-family: "Open Sans";" class=""><source type="image/webp" alt="Here, an illustration of the interstellar spacecraft Voyager 2." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><source type="image/jpeg" alt="Here, an illustration of the interstellar spacecraft Voyager 2." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-320-80.jpg" alt="Here, an illustration of the interstellar spacecraft Voyager 2." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAfcwuH8Yrr7L4iVDx7n3i.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; width: 602px;"></picture><div class="caption-text" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">Here, an illustration of the interstellar spacecraft Voyager 2.</font></div><div class="credit" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><font face="Gill Sans" size="3" class="">(Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech)</font></div></div></ul></nav></div></div></header><section class="content-wrapper" style="margin: 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible;"><div itemprop="articleBody" id="article-body" class="bodyCopy auto text-copy" style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; position: relative; word-break: break-word;"><div itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">There's never been a radio silence quite like this one. After long months with <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/voyager-2-already-isolated-in-interstellar-space-is-about-to-become-even-more-alone" data-url="https://www.sciencealert.com/voyager-2-already-isolated-in-interstellar-space-is-about-to-become-even-more-alone" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">no way of making contact</a> with Voyager 2, NASA has finally reestablished communications with the record-setting interstellar spacecraft.</font></p><div id="ad-unit-1" class="ad-unit" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">The breakdown in communications – lasting since March, almost eight months and a whole pandemic ago – wasn't due to some rogue malfunction, nor any run-in with interstellar space weirdness (<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/for-some-reason-the-density-of-space-is-higher-just-outside-the-solar-system" data-url="https://www.sciencealert.com/for-some-reason-the-density-of-space-is-higher-just-outside-the-solar-system" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">although there's that too</a>).</font></p><aside class="hawk-placeholder" data-render-type="fte" data-skip="dealsy" data-widget-type="seasonal" data-widget-id="5284595123430871000" data-result="missing" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; --trd-blue: #2f6e91; width: 602px; position: relative; --black: #000; --white: #fff; --yellow: #ffd800; --green: #3c8d0d; --orange: #ff6f28; --red: red; --pink: #e6248a; --light-blue: #97edfc; --mid-grey: #333; --light-grey: #eaeaea; --grey: #adadad; --dark-grey: #545454; --light-mid-grey: #ccc; --prime-blue: #00aeef; --prime-green: #eaf7e9; --lighter-mid-grey: #ebebeb; --game-platform-grey: #dbddde; --amazon-orange: #ffce00; --amazon-prime-day-blue: #70b7d9; --error-red: #f33f3f; --playstation-blue: #003791; --playstation-white: #fff; --xbox-green: #107c10; --nintendo-red: #e60012; --trd-pink: #e6248a; --trd-light-pink: #ea489d; --trd-grey: #ededed; --trd-dark-grey: #333; --trd-dark-blue: #315062; --rose-gold: #b76e79; --pc-orange: #ff8201; --site-color: #5aaf0b; --heading-color: #2f6e91; --tab-color: var(--trd-blue); --cc-border-color: var(--light-mid-grey); --cc-filters-title-color: var(--black); --expanded-row-color: var(--trd-blue); --expanded-row-box-shadow: 4px 4px 20px var(--expanded-row-color); --toggle-color: var(--trd-blue); --toggle-switch-color: var(--trd-blue); --editors-pick-background-color: #ededed; --editors-pick-promo-color: var(--trd-blue); --editors-pick-promo-rgba-color: rgba(47,110,145,0.3); --editors-pick-voucher-background-color: #e6248a; --model-options-filter-color: var(--pink); --filter-border-color: #c1c1c1; --filter-hover-border-color: #535353; --filter-selected-hover-border-color: #666; --review-filters-border-color: var(--filter-border-color); --countdown-in-progress-color: var(--trd-pink); --rows-background-color: var(--white); --mpu-header-height: 19px; --mpu-header-background: none; --mpu-header-padding: 10px 0; --hawk-footer-background: var(--trd-grey); --hawk-footer-game-platform-border: solid 1px var(--game-platform-grey); --site-logo-width: 100%; --site-logo-max-width: none; --hawk-tab-text-color: #666; --hawk-tab-background: #d6d6d6; --review-background: var(--trd-grey); --review-rows-background: var(--white); --review-peacock-background: var(--white); --product-label-background: var(--light-grey); --product-label-text-color: var(--black); --seasonal-event-grey: #797979; --seasonal-event-dark-grey: #313131; --seasonal-event-merchants-background: var(--white); --game-platform-background: transparent; --price-widget-padding: none; --price-widget-border-bottom: none; --postcode-entry-button-color: var(--site-color); --was-price-text-color: #848484; --was-price-promo-color: #be0707; --was-price-light-promo-color: #ededed; --was-price-light-promo-text-color: #be0707; --dotw-header-border-top: 1px solid #ddd; --dotw-header-border-bottom: 4px solid #006ea9; --dotw-toggle-background-color: #1b1b1b; --dotw-search-input-border-color: #ddd; --dotw-header-background: transparent; --dotw-header-text-color: var(--black); --shopping-partners-header-background-color: #f26722; --hover-panel-color: orange; --tv-channels-display-label-color: #696969; --user-input-color: #c1c1c1; --user-input-hover-color: #535353; --user-input-input-background: #f2f2f2; --user-input-input-error-color: #838383; --radio-button-color: #c1c1c1; --checkbox-color: #c1c1c1; --range-filter-shadow-color: #a9a9a9; --range-filter-background-color: var(--site-color); --index-color: #999; --comparison-load-more-background-color: #262626; --pre-order-promise-color: #aaa; --description-hover-background: #cac7c7; --display-price-code-color: var(--site-color); --merchant-link-mona-background-color: var(--site-color); --merchant-link-mona-text-color: inherit; --mona-site-font-family: inherit; --shop-filter-button-background-color: var(--trd-blue); --shop-filter-button-text-color: var(--white); --pagination-button-selected-background-color: var(--trd-blue); --deal-widget-border-color: #ddd; --deal-hero-promo-background: #e6248a; --deal-hero-promo-color: #fff; --deal-hero-promo-background-progressive: transparent; --deal-hero-promo-color-progressive: #d21f26;"></aside><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">In this instance, it was more a case of routine maintenance. And yet, when you're one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_leaving_the_Solar_System" data-url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_leaving_the_Solar_System" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">farthest-flying spacecraft in history</a> – leaving Earth and <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/voyager-2-is-officially-out-of-the-solar-system-and-sailing-through-interstellar-space" data-url="https://www.sciencealert.com/voyager-2-is-officially-out-of-the-solar-system-and-sailing-through-interstellar-space" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">even the entire solar system behind you</a> – nothing much is ever truly routine.</font></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">In March, <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/voyager-2-already-isolated-in-interstellar-space-is-about-to-become-even-more-alone" data-url="https://www.sciencealert.com/voyager-2-already-isolated-in-interstellar-space-is-about-to-become-even-more-alone" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">NASA announced</a> that <a href="https://www.cdscc.nasa.gov/Pages/Antennas/dss43.html" data-url="https://www.cdscc.nasa.gov/Pages/Antennas/dss43.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">Deep Space Station 43</a> (DSS-43) in Australia, the only antenna on Earth that can send commands to Voyager 2, required critical upgrades and would need to shut down for approximately 11 months for the work to be completed.</font></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class=""><font face="Gill Sans" size="4" class="">During this window, Voyager 2, which is currently over 18.7 billion kilometers (11.6 billion miles) away from Earth and getting farther all the time, wouldn't be able to receive any communications from Earth, although its own broadcasts back to us would still be received by scientists.</font></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><header style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 30px 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible;" class=""><h1 style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 34px; font-size: 28px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">'Starman' just zipped past Mars in his rapidly-decaying Tesla Roadster</h1><div class="byline-social" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both;" class="">By <span class="no-wrap by-author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.livescience.com/author/rafi-letzter" rel="author" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Rafi Letzter</span> - <span style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Staff Writer</span></a></span> <time itemprop="datePublished" class="no-wrap chunk relative-date" datetime="2020-10-21T16:14:08Z" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 1ex 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;">October 21, 2020</time></div><p class="strapline" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; font-size: 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">He probably doesn't look so pretty anymore.</p></div></header><section class="content-wrapper" style="margin: 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: visible;"><div class="box" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; float: left; clear: both; width: 602px;"><picture style="font-family: "Open Sans";" class=""><source type="image/webp" alt="Starman sent pictures home before leaving Earth orbit." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><source type="image/jpeg" alt="Starman sent pictures home before leaving Earth orbit." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef.jpg" style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-320-80.jpg" alt="Starman sent pictures home before leaving Earth orbit." class=" hero-image block-image-ads" srcset="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-480-80.jpg 480w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef-1024-80.jpg 1024w" sizes="(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)" data-original-mos="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef.jpg" data-pin-media="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q2fhEB3K6znXwphgHHqmef.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; width: 602px;"></picture><div class="caption-text" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;">Starman sent pictures home before leaving Earth orbit.</div><div class="credit" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;">(Image: © SpaceX)</div></div><div itemprop="articleBody" id="article-body" class="bodyCopy auto text-copy" style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; position: relative; word-break: break-word;"><div itemprop="image" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class="">Starman — the dummy riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster through space — has made his closest approach ever to Mars.</p><div id="ad-unit-1" class="ad-unit" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class="">That electric convertible with its mannequin passenger bolted to the top of a Falcon Heavy rocket as a stunt during the SpaceX rocket's first test launch Feb, 6, 2018. (It's common for test launches to include heavy payloads, but they're usually more boring than cherry-red sportscars.) Two years later, the Falcon Heavy upper stage and the vehicle at its tip are making their second trip around the sun. Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist who tracks space objects as a side project, found that Starman passed 4.6 million miles (7.4 million kilometers) from Mars at 2:25 a.m. EDT Oct. 7. That's about 19 times the distance from <a href="https://www.livescience.com/earth.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">Earth</a> to the moon, and 35 times closer than anyone on Earth has gotten to Mars.</p><aside class="hawk-placeholder" data-render-type="fte" data-skip="dealsy" data-widget-type="seasonal" data-widget-id="9193878639067991000" data-result="missing" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; --trd-blue: #2f6e91; width: 602px; position: relative; --black: #000; --white: #fff; --yellow: #ffd800; --green: #3c8d0d; --orange: #ff6f28; --red: red; --pink: #e6248a; --light-blue: #97edfc; --mid-grey: #333; --light-grey: #eaeaea; --grey: #adadad; --dark-grey: #545454; --light-mid-grey: #ccc; --prime-blue: #00aeef; --prime-green: #eaf7e9; --lighter-mid-grey: #ebebeb; --game-platform-grey: #dbddde; --amazon-orange: #ffce00; --amazon-prime-day-blue: #70b7d9; --error-red: #f33f3f; --playstation-blue: #003791; --playstation-white: #fff; --xbox-green: #107c10; --nintendo-red: #e60012; --trd-pink: #e6248a; --trd-light-pink: #ea489d; --trd-grey: #ededed; --trd-dark-grey: #333; --trd-dark-blue: #315062; --rose-gold: #b76e79; --pc-orange: #ff8201; --site-color: #5aaf0b; --heading-color: #2f6e91; --tab-color: var(--trd-blue); --cc-border-color: var(--light-mid-grey); --cc-filters-title-color: var(--black); --expanded-row-color: var(--trd-blue); --expanded-row-box-shadow: 4px 4px 20px var(--expanded-row-color); --toggle-color: var(--trd-blue); --toggle-switch-color: var(--trd-blue); --editors-pick-background-color: #ededed; --editors-pick-promo-color: var(--trd-blue); --editors-pick-promo-rgba-color: rgba(47,110,145,0.3); --editors-pick-voucher-background-color: #e6248a; --model-options-filter-color: var(--pink); --filter-border-color: #c1c1c1; --filter-hover-border-color: #535353; --filter-selected-hover-border-color: #666; --review-filters-border-color: var(--filter-border-color); --countdown-in-progress-color: var(--trd-pink); --rows-background-color: var(--white); --mpu-header-height: 19px; --mpu-header-background: none; --mpu-header-padding: 10px 0; --hawk-footer-background: var(--trd-grey); --hawk-footer-game-platform-border: solid 1px var(--game-platform-grey); --site-logo-width: 100%; --site-logo-max-width: none; --hawk-tab-text-color: #666; --hawk-tab-background: #d6d6d6; --review-background: var(--trd-grey); --review-rows-background: var(--white); --review-peacock-background: var(--white); --product-label-background: var(--light-grey); --product-label-text-color: var(--black); --seasonal-event-grey: #797979; --seasonal-event-dark-grey: #313131; --seasonal-event-merchants-background: var(--white); --game-platform-background: transparent; --price-widget-padding: none; --price-widget-border-bottom: none; --postcode-entry-button-color: var(--site-color); --was-price-text-color: #848484; --was-price-promo-color: #be0707; --was-price-light-promo-color: #ededed; --was-price-light-promo-text-color: #be0707; --dotw-header-border-top: 1px solid #ddd; --dotw-header-border-bottom: 4px solid #006ea9; --dotw-toggle-background-color: #1b1b1b; --dotw-search-input-border-color: #ddd; --dotw-header-background: transparent; --dotw-header-text-color: var(--black); --shopping-partners-header-background-color: #f26722; --hover-panel-color: orange; --tv-channels-display-label-color: #696969; --user-input-color: #c1c1c1; --user-input-hover-color: #535353; --user-input-input-background: #f2f2f2; --user-input-input-error-color: #838383; --radio-button-color: #c1c1c1; --checkbox-color: #c1c1c1; --range-filter-shadow-color: #a9a9a9; --range-filter-background-color: var(--site-color); --index-color: #999; --comparison-load-more-background-color: #262626; --pre-order-promise-color: #aaa; --description-hover-background: #cac7c7; --display-price-code-color: var(--site-color); --merchant-link-mona-background-color: var(--site-color); --merchant-link-mona-text-color: inherit; --mona-site-font-family: inherit; --shop-filter-button-background-color: var(--trd-blue); --shop-filter-button-text-color: var(--white); --pagination-button-selected-background-color: var(--trd-blue); --deal-widget-border-color: #ddd; --deal-hero-promo-background: #e6248a; --deal-hero-promo-color: #fff; --deal-hero-promo-background-progressive: transparent; --deal-hero-promo-color-progressive: #d21f26;"></aside><p style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; width: 602px; height: auto;" class="">(The closest recent approach between the two planets was 34.8 million miles (56 million km) in 2003, according to <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-far-is-it-from-earth-to-mars.html" data-url="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-far-is-it-from-earth-to-mars.html" data-component-tracked="1" class="hawk-link-parsed" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 108, 162); text-decoration: none;">World Atlas</a>, though the planets are often hundreds of millions of miles apart.)</p><div class=""><font color="#333333" face="Open Sans, Arial, sans-serif" size="3" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><a href="https://www.livescience.com/starman-tesla-mars-approach.html" class="">https://www.livescience.com/starman-tesla-mars-approach.html</a> </span></font></div></div></section></div></div></section></div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></div></div></div></body></html>