>> MARINER 4 BEGAN TRANSMITTING BACK IMAGES. >> THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH A HUMAN BEING HAS EVER SEEN ON THE SURFACE OF ANOTHER PLANET. >> ON AUGUST 20, 1975 THE FIRST VIKING SPACE SHIP WAS LAUNCHED. >> YOU ARE SEEING SOMETHING THAT NO OTHER HUMAN HAS EVER SEEN BEFORE. >> FORMER SEAS AND MOUNTAINS. >> HUGE CANYONS. >> THAT SENSE OF WONDER AND ACHIEVEMENT AND WORKING TOWARD YOUR GOAL. >> WE CAN DO AND WE WILL DO. >> AND LIFTOFF! [CHEERING] >> WE HAVE ORBITED. >> TOGETHER WE GET IT. THE ATTITUDE IS TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT. >> THE FUTURE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OUT OF IT. YOU CAN MAKE IT REAL. >> HERE WE ARE WITH MARS PERSEVERANCE 51 YEARS LATER GETTING READY TO BE THE FIRST EVER MARS RETURN MISSION. >> EVENTUALLY WE CAN BRING THE SAMPLES BACK TO EARTH AND DETERMINE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME DID LIFE EXIST ON MARS? >> HELLO AND WELCOME TO KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS PRE-LAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE. MOMENTS AGO THE LAUNCH READINESS REVIEW CONCLUDED FOR THE MISSION THAT WILL CARRY THE RECOVERY AND HELICOPTER TO THE RED PLANET. WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW ERA IN MARS EXPLORATION. YOU CAN CATCH THE LAUNCH HERE ON NASA TELEVISION STARTING AT 7:00 A.M. AND THE LAUNCH WILL BE AT 7:50 A.M. TO LEARN MORE WE ARE JOINED BY A GREAT PANEL TO TELL US ABOUT MARS 2020 AND FUTURE PLANS TO MARS. FIRST WE HAVE NASA ADMINISTRATOR JIM BRIDENSTINE. THE ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE MISSION DIRECTORATE. MATT WALLACE DEPUTY PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE JET PROPULSION LAB. LAUNCH DIRECTOR FOR THE NASA LAUNCH SERVICE PROGRAM. THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE UNITE THE LAUNCH ALLIANCE AND 46th SPACE WING WEATHER OFFICER. WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA JOINING US VIRTUALLY ON THE PHONE FIRST. WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA WITH THE #COUNTDOWNTOMARS. LET'S START WITH JIM BRIDENSTINE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. I JUST WANT TO SAY THE LAUNCH READINESS REVIEW IS COMPLETE AND WE ARE, INDEED, GO FOR LAUNCH. I WANT TO THANK OUR UL A TEAM MEATS AND JPL TEAMMATES AS WELL. THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING TEAMEST. I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE AGENCY THOMAS SAID WE HAVE A REUFPBLGT IT IS MARS 2020. I SAID WHAT'S THE RISK? WE MIGHT NOT GO IN 2020. AND HERE WE ARE A NUMBER OF YEARS LATER, BUT WE ARE, IN FACT,GOING TO LAUNCH WHAT WE CALL MARS PERSEVERANCE IN THE YEAR 2020. I THINK THE NAME IS PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE. A YOUNG MAN IN VIRGINIA NAMED ALEX MATHER A SEVENTH GRADER IS THE PERSON WHO NAMED IT. WE ARE IN EXTRAORDINARY TIMES RIGHT NOW WITH THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. AND YET WE HAVE, IN FACT, PERSEVERED AND PROTECTED THIS MISSION BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT. WE DECLARE THIS MISSION TO BE ESSENTIAL. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY. I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A FEW OF THEM. SOME OF THE REASONS THAT EXCITE ME THE MOST. FIRST OF ALL, THE PRESIDENT GAVE US AN OBJECTIVE TO GO TO MARS WITH HUMANS TO PLANT AN AMERICAN FLAG ON MARS. IN ORDER TO DO THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE ON MARS. THERE IS A MISSION ON PERSEVERANCE CALLED MOXIE, A TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATOR. HOW DO WE USE THE CARBON DIOXIDE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS AND CREATE PURE OXYGEN FOR LIFE SUPPORT? THAT'S A REALLY EXCITING MISSION THAT IS A RECURSOR TO AN EVENTUAL HUMAN MISSION TO MARS. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE MARS PERSEVERANCE RECOVERY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER -- ROVER FOR FIRST TIME EVER WE'LL FLY A HELICOPTER ON ANOTHER PLAN ET. WE CALL IT ENGENUTE. IT WILL BE A TECH DEMONSTRATOR FOR THIS PARTICULAR MISSION BUT IN THE FUTURE COULD TRANSFORM HOW WE DO PLANETARY SCIENCE ON THE OTHER WORLDS. AND EVENTUALLY BE A SCOUT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE EXACTLY DO WE NEED TO SEND OUR ROBOT? I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS MISSION IT IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY WHEN NASA HAS DEDICATED A MISSION TO WHAT WE CALL ASTRO-BIOLOGY. THE SEARCH FOR LIFE MAYBE NOW OR ANCIENT LIFE ON ANOTHER WORLD. WHEN WE GO TO THE CRATER, OBVIOUSLY A BIG CRATER ON MARS AND HAD A LAKE BED AND RIVER THAT FLOWED INTO IT AND THAT DELTA IS AS PLACE WE BELIEVE THERE COULD BE WE DON'T KNOW, COULD HAVE BEEN AT ONE POINT IN TIME LIFE. WE KNOW MARS HAD A VERY ACTIVE ATMOSPHERE AND HYDRO SPHERE AND WAS PROTECTED FROM THE RADIATION OF DEEP SPACE AT ONE TIME. AT ONE TIME MARS WAS HABITABLE. WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF PAST MISSIONS SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY. NOW THAT WE KNOW WHAT THE HISTORY WAS MARS WAS WE CAN SAY OKAY, MAYBE THERE WAS LIFE THERE, LET'S GO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS LIFE ON MARS. IN FACT, THE OTHER EXCITING THING IS WE ARE GOING TO CACHE SAMPLES ON THE SURFACE OF ANOTHER WORLD FOR A FUTURENITION 2026 TO BRING THEM BACK TO EARTH. THAT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY WE HAVE DONE A MARS RETURN MISSION. IT IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY WE HAVE DONE A RETURN TPHREUGZ ANY PLANET. THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES. VERY IMPORTANT MISSION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND, OF COURSE, A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION FOR THE WORLD W. THAT I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SCIENCE MISSION DIRECT RATE AT NASA WHO HAS DONE AMAZING WORK HELPING US GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS HOW UNITING THIS MISSION ACTUALLY IS. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS, WITHOUT WHICH WE WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. I JUST COULDN'T BE MORE HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY AND HAVE THIS AMAZING MISSION ON TOP OF A ROCKET READY TO GO. FROM THIS LAUNCH READINESS REVIEW KNOW THAT ALL THE ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED AND WE ARE IN FACT READY NOW. WE ARE JUST COUNTING DOWN. WE ARE JUST CELEBRATING WITH THE TEAM. YOU ALREADY MENTIONED WHY WE WANT TO GO TO MARS AND I'M NOT GOING TO REPEAT IT. FOR ME, THE MOST EXCITING PART IS TO REALLY GO LAND IN THIS RIVER DELTA THAT WE THINK HAS SO MANY PROMISING LANDSCAPES AND ROCKS THAT WE WILL NOT ONLY SEE IMAGES AND MEASURE *PBLTS OF AND -- MEASUREMENTS AND RETURNSAMP. WE ARE EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT THE CLIMATE OF MARS. THE WEATHER THERE WITH UNPRES UNPRECEDENTED WEATHER INFORMATION THERE THAT TEACHES US ABOUT THAT. AND NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE AMAZING SURPRISING DISCOVERIES IN A WAY THAT IT ALWAYS HAPPENS. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAPPENS ARE THE THINGS WE DID NOT PLAN. THOSE ARE DISCOVERIES THAT ARE REWRITING SCHOOL BOOKS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT REALLY ARE IMPORTANT TO ME TODAY I WANT TO FOCUS ON, THE FIRST IS PIERCE PERSEVERANCE. SAID HOW IMPORTANT THE NAME S. MANY PEOPLE THINK IT IS ABOUT SOMETHING HARD. IT IS SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL. IT IS TOGETHER WITH EXPLORATION AND HOPE AND VISION TIS WHAT ALLOWS US TO ACHIEVE THESE AMAZING GOALS. THIS SUBMISSION FULL OF PERSEVERANCE. PERSEVERANCE EARLY ON OF BRINGING THIS AMAZING IDEA TO BEAR AND DESIGNING THIS EXCITING ROVER. TOGETHER WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS THAT PERSEVERED THEMSELVES DEVELOPING THE INSTRUMENTS AND SENDING THEM OVER. IS GOING THROUGH THE ADVERSITY THAT WE ALWAYS ENCOUNTER WHEN IT COMES TO COMPLEX, YOU KNOW, EXPLORATION, BUT ALSO IN THIS CASE OVER AND ABOVE BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS DIFFICULTIES IN THE SAMPLE RETURN TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS INVENTED IN WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US, THEY ARE PART OF THIS IMPORTANT EXPLORATION. WE ARE GOING TOGETHER AS A WORLD. A LITTLE COUNTRY OVER THERE IN EUROPE. AND SHOW THE FIRST IMAGE. THIS IS IN THE BACKGROUND THE MATTER HORN. YOU HAVE SEEN IT FROM CHOCOLATE BARS, PERHAPS. YOU KNOW IT IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING MOUNTAINS, ALMOST 15,000 FEET HIGH. WHAT YOU SEE IN THE FOREFRONT IS A LIGHT SHOW, ACTUALLY REALLY ON TO THE MATTERHORN WITH MARS IMAGES. THIS COULD BE ON ANOTHER PLANET TOO. THIS IS IN SWITZERLAND AND AT 9,000 FEET HIGH WHERE THE CREW IS RIGHT NOW. HERE IS WHAT IS EXCITING RIGHT NOW, EVERY NIGHT UNTIL THE 15th OF AUGUST AND NEXT IMAGE PLEASE, THE CREW IS GOING TO PROJECT IMAGES SUCH AS THIS ONE ON TO THE MATTER HORN. IMAGES OF COMING TOGETHER AS A WORLD AND PERSEVERING AND EXPLORING OUR NEIGHBORING PLANET TOGETHER AND BEING EXPLORERS TOGETHER AND PERSEVERING. THIS IS NOT FAKE, THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT AND THE NEXT NIGHT AND THE NEXT FEW NIGHTS. I WANT TO THANK THE ARTIST AND EVENT DESIGNER WHO DID THAT. AND THE OFFICIAL IN CHARGE WHO ENABLEDNA. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD TO AGREE TO THAT MOMENT OF COMING TOGETHER. WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MATT. I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE MATT AND HIS WORK AND THE WORK OF HIS ENTIRE TEAM. MATT AND I GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER A LOT BECAUSE WE HAD TO PERSEVERE TOGETHER. >> THANK YOU, THOMAS. I WILL NOT SPEAK GERMAN, BUT I'M PRETTY EXCITED. THIS IS THE FIFTH MARS ROVER MISSION I GOT AE TO WORK ON AND THIS IS REALLY SPECIAL FOR A LOT OF REASONS. SOME OF WHICH YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD B. WE ARE DOING TRANSFORMATIVE SCIENCE. FOR THE FIRST TIME WE ARE LOOKING FOR SIGNS OF LIFE ON ANOTHER PLANET. FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'LL COLLECT SAMPLES THAT WILL BE PART OF, WE HOPE, THE FIRST SAMPLE RETURN FROM ANOTHER PLANET. THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER FIRST ALONG THE WAY. ADMINISTRATOR MENTIONED OUR FIRST POWERED ARIEL CAPABILITY WITH THE ENGINE YOUITY AND AVOID HAZARDSAS WE LAND IN THE CRATER. THAT IS A TECHNOLOGY IN THE FUTURE AND ROBOTICS AND HUMAN EXPLORATION SYSTEMS AND THAT'S EXCITING. WE ARE CARRYING MICRO PHONES AND FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'LL HEAR THE SOUNDS OF THE SPACECRAFT LANDING ON ANOTHER PLANET AND THE ROVER DRILLING IN THE ROCKS AND ROLLING OVER THE SURFACE OF MARS. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING. I'LL MENTION ONE MORE NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ANOTHER SPACECRAFT, SEE OUR SPACECRAFT LAND ON ANOTHER PLANET. WE HAVE COMMERCIAL RUGGEDIZED CAMERAS WE HAVE ALL OVER THE SPACE CRAFTED AND THEY WILL GET HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO WE'LL BRING BACK AFTER WE LAND ON THE SURFACE OF THE LANDING ACTIVITY FROM THE INFLATION OF THE PARACHUTE TO THE TOUCH DOWN OF THE RECOVERY. THAT WILL BE VERY EXCITING FOOTAGE. THE WHOLE MISSION IS VERY EXCITING FOR ME. IF WE BRING UP THE FIRST GRAPHIC FROM A QUICK HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE WE BEGAN TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO LEVERAGE THE POWERFUL SKY CRANE DELIVERY SYSTEM THAT WE OTHER CHALLENGES IN OUR DEVELOPMENT AS WELL. LATE IN THE GAME WE WERE ASKED TO ACCOMMODATE THIS LITTLE THING CALLED MARS HELICOPTER. AS YOU CAN SEE IT WAS WELL AFTER MOST WERE ASSIGNED TO THE PROJECT. WE HAD TO DO A MAGIC TRICK TO GET THAT ON THE ROVER. PULLED A BIT OF A RABBIT OUT OF THE HAT, BUT I GUESS IT WAS FATE, BECAUSE WE MANAGED TO GET IT DONE. THE HELICOPTER TEAM DELIVERED THEIR SYSTEM AND IT'S SITTING UP WITH THE PERSEVERANCE ROVER ON TOP OF THE ATLAS 5 ROCKET GETTING READY TO GO TO MARS WITH US. YOU ALL KNOW THE LAUNCH IS COMING UP AND, OF COURSE, ABOUT A SIX AND A HALF MONTH CRUISE TO MARS AND WE'LL LAND IN THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY 2021 AT THE CRATER. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT GRAPHIC, PLEASE. THE IMPORTANT PART. THIS IS WHERE I TALK ABOUT THE TEAM. THIS IS JUST A SMALL FRACTION OF THE TEAM, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. THIS IS JUST THE JPL TEAM AND A FRACTION OF THE MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE OVER THE COURSE OF THE MISSION DEVELOPMENT THAT WORKED ON THE PROJECT AT JPL. OUR TEAM DIDN'T STOP AT JPL. EVERY NASA CENTER PARTICIPATED IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER. IT WAS A CROSS-AGENCY EFFORT AND SOMETHING WE ARE EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE SUPPORT WE GOT. IT DIDN'T STOP THERE. THOMAS MENTIONED WE HAVE THREE INSTRUMENTS FROM EUROPE, ONE FROM FRANCE, ONE FROM SPAIN, ONE FROM NORWAY AND A VERY LARGE SCIENCE TEAM. I THINK IT'S MORE THAN 250 SCIENTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHICH ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROJECT AS WELL. IF YOU BRING UP THE NEXT GRAPHIC, I THINK WE HAVE A PICTURE OF THE SPACECRAFT. I LIKE IT BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU A SENSE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SYSTEM. YOU SEE THE CREW STAGE ON TOP. THE ROVER IS HARD TO SEE, YOU CAN SEE A WHEEL THERE. THE HELICOPTER IS MOUNTED UNDERNEATH THE BODY OF THE ROVER. THEY ARE NESTLED UP INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE ENTRY CAPSULE. WE ARE ABOUT TO BRING THE HEAT SHIELD UP TO ENCAPSULATE THE ENTIRE SPACECRAFT BEFORE GOING INTO THE INTEGRATIVE FLOW OF THE LAUNCH VEHICLE A FEW WEEKS AGO. YOU CAN'T BUILD SOMETHING THIS COMPLEX WITHOUT A LOT OF HELP FROM INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND THEY STEPPED UP BIG TIME. WE BUILT FLIGHT HARDWARE IN 44 OUT OF THE 50 STATE IN THE COUNTRY. MORE THAN 550 DIFFERENT CITIES AND TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES. NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THIS COUNTRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO VERY FAR PROBABLY TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN PART OF THIS MISSION. IT'S A TREMENDOUS TEAM EFFO. YOU KNOW, WE WORK WITH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY AND WHEN WE DO THAT WE EXPECT TO BE CHALLENGED. AND AS THOMAS AND THE ADMINISTRATOR HAVE MENTIONED OUR FUNDAMENTAL JOB IS TO EXPLORE NEW PLACES. PLACES WE HAVEN'T BEEN, ANSWER QUESTIONS WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO. SOMETIMES GREAT QUESTIONS WE DIDN'T KNOW WE NEEDED TO ASK. YOU EXPECT NEW PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ALONG THE WAY. BUT REALLY, NOTHING PREPARED US FOR WHAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH IN THE MIDDLE OF MARCH AS THE PANDEMIC STRUCK. NOT JUST OUR TEAM BUT OBVIOUSLY COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. WE REALLY AT THAT POINT OF THE MISSION WERE IN OUR FINAL ASSEMBLY ACTIVITIES. IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THE TEAM DO THAT ASSEMBLY CORRECTLY THAT THEY DO IT WITHOUT MAKING MISTAKES OR DAMAGING THE HARDWARE. THERE IS NO SAFETY NET AT THAT POINT. WE ARE WORKING WITH VERY LIMITED SCHEDULE EVERY DAY, EVERY SHIFT, EVERY HOUR IS SOMETHING WE ARE SCRUTINIZED TO MAKE SURE WE'LL STAY ON TRACK. WE HAVE A 20-DAY PLANETARY LAUNCH WINDOW. IF WE MISS IT WE ARE GOING TO PUSH OUT BY A COUPLE YEARS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, JUST HAVING THE CORONAVIRUS ISSUE AT THAT POINT IN TIME WAS VERY CHALLENGING FOR US. AND, OF COURSE, NO MATTER HOW MANY HARDSHIPS WE WERE FACING, THERE WAS A COMMUNITY OUT THERE, FIRST RESPONDER, NURSES, DOCTORS, MEDICAL COMMUNITY THAT WERE REALLY FACING LIFE-AND-DEATH SITUATIONS AT THE SAME TIME. AND I ASKED THE TEAM A COUPLE MONTHS AGO TO DO SOMETHING TO KIND OF REPRESENT THIS PARTICULAR CHALLENGE THAT WE ALL FACED HERE IN 2020 ON THIS MISSION. IF YOU BRING UP THE NEXT GRAPHIC, YOU CAN SEE A TECHNICIAN ON OUR ASSEMBLY TEAM INSTALLING A PLATE. THIS IS ON THE -- A LITTLE HARD TO TELL, BUT ON THE AFT-PORT SIDE OF THE ROVER. WE CALL THE PLATE THE PERSEVERANCE COVID-19 PLATE. THERE IS A GOOD SHOT OF IT. YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE REPRESENTATION OF THE EARTH ON THE TOP KIND OF TO SYMBOLIZE THE CHALLENGE THAT WE FACE, YOU KNOW, GLOBALLY AS THE PANDEMIC STRUCK. WE HAVE REPRESENTATION OF THE SPACECRAFT LEAVING THE EARTH AND HEADING TO MARS. OF COURSE, ALL OF THIS IS APPROPRIATELY SUPPORTED BY THE ROD AND SERPENT OF THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY. DURING THIS PERIOD, THIS IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT REALLY INSPIRED OUR TEAM TO KEEP GOING. AND WE HOPE THAT IN SOME SMALL WAY THIS MISSION CAN HELP INSPIRE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC AS WELL. GO TO THE NEXT GRAPHIC PLEASE. I MENTIONED THE TEAM AND YOU SAW PICTURES. OUR TEAM DOESN'T END WITH INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTION AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND OTHER NASA CENTERS. WE INCLUDE ALL OF YOU AS WELL. THIS PLATE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF THIS PLATE, YOU WILL SEE THREE SMALL MICRO FICHE CHIPS, THESE ARE THE PLACES WHERE FAMILIES NAMES AND 11 MILLION OTHER NAMES ARE ETCHED ON TO THE CHIPS. WE HAD ONLY INTENDED TO FLY ONE, BUT WE GOT SO MUCH INTEREST WE COULDN'T FIT IT ON ONE AND FLEW THREE. YOU SEE ON THE PLATE AS WELL REPRESENTATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND THERE IS SOME HIDDEN MORSE CODE IN THE RAYS OF THE SUN PEOPLE RECOGNIZED SPELLED OUT EXPLORE AT ONE, WHICH IS WHAT WE INTEND TO DO. YOU KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO LAUNCH THE VEHICLE HERE IN JUST A COUPLE DAYS AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING EVERYBODY COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE. IF YOU GO TO NASA.GOV YOU WILL FIND PLENTY OF EXPERIENCES THERE TO SEE THE LAUNCH AND BEHIND THE SCENES INTERVIEWS. ALSO AT MARS.NASA.GOV/MARS2020, IF YOU CLICK ONPATE THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO COOL SOCIAL MEDIA FILTERS. A PHOTO BOOTH THERE. TAKE A PICTURE WITH THE MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER. WE INVITE ALL OF YOU TO RIDE SHOTGUN WITH US STARTING ON THURSDAY AND WITH THAT I WILL HAND IT OVER TO OUR LAUNCH DIRECTOR. >> THANK YOU, MATT. AS EVERYBODY ELSE HERE HAS MENTIONED, OUR SITUATION DID CHANGE. I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THE LAUNCH DIRECTOR WOULD WORK FROM HOME. I HAVE DONE THAT FOR THE LAST FIVE MONTHS. WE USED TO HAVE SOMETHING CALLED EVERY OTHER YEAR HERE CALLED TAKE YOUR KIDS TO WORK. GUESS WHAT? EVERY DAY WAS TAKES YOUR KIDS TO WORK DAY. AND I BET IT HAS BEEN AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE KIDS. IT IS HUMBLING AS A PARENT TO SEE HOW OUR WHOLE TEAM FROM THE RANGE TO OUR PARTNERS AT JPL TO OUR PARTNERS ULA TO THE FOLKS AT HEADQUARTERS HAD WE ALL HAD TO ADJUST TO WORK IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND TO COLLABORATE ELECTRONICALLY WHERE BEFORE IT WAS A FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION VERSUS, YOU KNOW, SEEING SOMEBODY'S LITTLE PICTURE ON A COMPUTER SCREEN AND VOICE. AND EVEN AS SIMPLE AS A LAUNCH READINESS REVIEW WE HAD THIS MORNING WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOULDER TO SHOULDER. THAT ROOM WOULD HAVE BEEN FULL AND PEOPLE STANDING UP IN THE BACK. SPARSE SETTINGS, EVERYBODY WEARING A MASK. TROUBLE HEARING SOME PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE WEARING MASKS. THERE IS A CHALLENGE AND A PENALTY THAT GOES WITH DOING THESE THINGS. I HAVE SEEN THE TEAM REACT AND OVERCOME ALL OF THAT. IT MAKES ME VERY PROUD. AND HERE WE ARE. A COUPLE DAYS FROM LAUNCH. WE DID COMPLETE THE LAUNCH READINESS REVIEW. IF I COULD HAVE THE FOLKS ROLL A SHORT VIDEO HERE I'LL SHOW YOU HOW WE ARE GOING TO GET PERSEVERANCE TO THE RED PLANET. IT STARTS WITH THAT RIGHT THERE. THAT IS THE ATLAS 5 WITH THE MOTORS INTO THE ML P AT COMPLEX 41. SRMs GOING UP. WE ARE FLYING FOUR OF THEM ON THIS MISSION. THAT GIVES THE ATLAS THE EXTRA OOMPH IT NEEDS TO LEAVE THE EARTH'S GRAVITY WELL WITH PERSEVERANCE AND INGENUITY. AND YOU SEE THE LAST TIME WE GOT TO SEE THE ROVER AND HELICOPTER STACK BEFORE IT GOT ENCAPSULATED. AND WE TOOK THAT OUT TO COMPLEX 41 ON THE 7th. AND STACK TODAY ON TOP OF THE VEHICLE. GOT IT READY. ENVIRONMENTALLY FOR PLANETARY PROTECTION PURPOSES WE HAD TO PREPARE THAT AREA TO INGRESS AND EGRESS. ON THE 24th OF THIS MONTH WE INSERTED THE RTG THAT WILLPOWER THE ROVER ON MARS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. AND WE FINISHED OUT ALL OUR TESTING AND ALL THAT REMAINS IS I HAVE THREE GOES TO GO. TOMORROW AT 8:00 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING I GET THE GO FOR THE VEHICLE TO ROLL OUT. WE TAKE A DAY OF REST AFTER TOMORROW TO GET SYNCED UP WITH HAVING TO COME IN AT TWO TKHR-BR 3:00 IN THE MORNING. A GO TO FUEL THE VEHICLE. AND ONCE WE ARE READY AND THE SPACECRAFT IS CONFIGURED, ONE MORE GO AND FOUR MINUTES LATER WE ARE GOING TO BE FLYING TO MARS. AND THAT MAKES MY JOB REALLY SIMPLE. AND OVER TO TOREY TO EXPLAIN THE REST OF IT. >> I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW THRILLED WE TORLIFT PERSEVERANCE. THIS ONE IS ARGUABLY THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AND IN SOME WAYS THE MOST EXCITING OF ALL OF THEM. IT WILL SIT ATOP OUR MIGHTY ATLAS AND THE 541 CONFIGURATION. I CALL THAT THE DOMINATOR. THAT IS OUR SECOND MOST POWERFUL ATLAS. SUPPLEMENTING THAT CORE WITH ITS EIGHT 6,000 POUNDS -- 860 POUNDS OF THRUST EACH OF THEM GERARARANERATING ANOTHER 280,000 POUNDS OF THRUST. THIS ROCKET WILL LEAP OFF THE PAD WITH THIS RELATIVELY TINY PAY LOAD. DO NOT BLINK WHEN THEY SAY IGINATION. I HAVE A MISSION PROFILE VIDEO TO SHOW YOU AND WALK THROUGH WHAT THAT FLIGHT WILL LOOK LIKE. IF YOU COULD RUN THAT, PLEASE. >> 2, 1, 0 AND LIFTOFF OF THE ATLAS 5. >> THE ATLAS 5 IGNITES TO GENERATE 10.2 MILLION NEWTONS TO LIFT THE ROCKET ON THE WAY TO IA HYPERBOLIC ESCAPE PRACTICE JECTORY. SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF ATLAS WILL PITCH TO THE PROPER FLIGHT PATH. THE ATLAS 5 REACHES MAAC 1, THE SPEED OF SOUND AT 35 SECONDS. FOLLOWING BURN OUT THE FOUR SRBs ARE JETTISONED AT 1:49. THE NEXT TWO AND A HALF MINUTES OF FIRST STAGE FLIGHT THE ATLAS FLIGHT WILL TRIPLE ITS VELOSITY. 3:27 THE PAY LOT FERRING IS JETTISONED. AT 4:22 PROPELLANT LEVELS DEPLETE AND THE BOOSTER ENGINE SHUTS DOWN. THE ATLAS IS TRAVELING 13470 MILES PER HOUR AND LOCATED NEARLY 156 KILLOM TORES OR 97 MILES IN ALTITUDE OR 309 MILES DOWN RANGE. SIX SECONDS LATER THE ATLAS SEPARATION SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAYS 5% OF WHAT IT DID AT LIFTOFF. 10 SECONDS LATER THE FIRST BURN OF THE MAIN ENGINE BEGINS, BURNING LIQUID HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN THE CENTAUR IS OBTAINING ORBITAL. THE MISSION ENTERS A 30 MINUTE COAST PHASE. THE CENTAUR MAIN ENGINE IS RESTARTED AT 45 MINUTES AND THIS BURN PROVIDES THE REQUIRED THRUST FOR CENTAUR TO ESCAPE EARTH ORBIT. APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MINUTES LATER FINAL CUT OFF OF THE CENTAUR MAIN ENGINE OCCURS AND COMPLETES POWERED FLIGHT. CENTAUR WILL COAST FOR NEARLY FIVE MINUTES IN PREPARATION FOR SPACECRAFT SEPARATION. AT ABOUT 57 AND A HALF MINUTE, CENTAUR RELEASES THE SPACECRAFT INTO A HYPER BOLLIC ORBIT TRAVELING AT MORE THAN 41,000-KILOMETERS OR 26,000 MILES PER HOUR ON A SEVEN MONTH CRUISE TO MARS, WHERE IT WILL SEEK SIGNS EVER ANCIENT LIFE ON THE RED PLANET AND COLLECT ROCK AND SOIL SAMPLES FOR POSSIBLE RETURN TO EARTH. >> SO THE VEHICLE IS SITTING ATOP ITS LAUNCH PLATFORM RIGHT NOW. PROCESSING HAS BEEN GOING SMOOTHLY FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS. ATLAS IS GO, CENTAUR IS GO AND WE ARE LITERALLY CHOMPING AT THE BIT TO TAKE THIS NUCLEAR POWERED DUNE BUGGY OUT TO MARS. >> FANTASTIC. THAT'S SO MUCH. NEXT TO JESSICA WILLIAMS. >> THE WEATHER LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR LAUNCH THURSDAY MORNING. TODAY WE HAD A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND WHAT THIS DID WAS SHIFT THE WEATHER PATTERN SO WE HAVE SOUTHWEST WINDS IN THE LOW LEVELS IN THE MORNING. THAT'S OFFSHORE WINDS. THIS PATTERN WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. THROUGH THE 48 HOUR BACK UP WINDOW. THIS GIVES US DRY MORNINGS WITH THE OFFSHORE WINDS. IT DOES GIVE US CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IF WE LOOK AT OUR LAUNCH DAY FORECAST, THE CHART FOR THE LAUNCH DAY FORECAST WE SHOULD HAVE A 20% PROBABILITY OF VIOLATION OF THE CUMULOUS CLOUD RULES AND THE THICK CLOUD RULE AND THIS IS DUE TO A WEAK BOUNDARY BEING OFF THE COAST OF THE SOUTHEAST. WE ARE EXPECTING TO SEE ISOLATED TO A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS JUST OFFSHORE FROM COMPLEX 41, BUT THEY WILL MOVE LITTLE OR AWAY FROM THE PAD. WE HAVE THAT SLIGHT CHANCE OF VIOLATING FOR THE CUMULOUS CLOUD RULE AND EXPECTED TO BE MID-LEVEL CLOUDS SCATTERED TO BROKEN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WEAK BOUNDARY OFF THE COAST. WE COULD SEE JUST A BRIEF PERIOD OF VIOLATING THE THICK CLOUD LAYER RULE BUT IT IS AT A 20% VIOLATION FOR THE OVER ALL TWO HOUR WINDOW. IF WE LOOK AT OUR 24-HOUR BACK UP CHART, AGAIN, WE HAVE OFFSHORE WINDS FROM THE SOUTHWEST IN THE MORNING 8 TO 10 KNOTS. A 10% PROBABILITY OF VIOLATING FOR THE CUMULOUS CLOUD RULE AS THE WEAK BOUNDARY STARTS TO DIMINISH. THE CHANCES FOR ANY CUMULOUS CLOUDS IN THE FLIGHT PATH OVER THE WATER JUST OFF THE COAST REDUCED FROM THE DAY BEFORE. IF WE LOOK A 48 HOUR BACK UP WINDOW THE WEATHER STILL LOOKS FAVORABLE WITH OFFSHORE WINDS FROM THE SOUTHWEST OR SOUTH FROM THE WEST REALLY, THEY PICK UP 12 KNOTS SUSTAINED GUSTS TO 16 KNOTS AT 230 FEET. HOWEVER, THE UPPER LEVEL WIND FLOW DOES CHANGE AND BECOME MORE FROM THE EAST AND STRONGER. IF WE DO SEE ANY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE GULF STREAM, WHICH IS TYPICAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR IN THE MORNING, AND IF THEY DO PRODUCE ANY ANVIL CLOUDS, IT'S A SLIGHT POSSIBILITY OF THE ANVILS REACHING CLOSE TO THE COAST, THAT IS WHY WE HAVE THE 20% PROBABILITY OF VIOLATION FOR THE ATTACH AND DETACH ANVIL CLOUD RULES FOR THE 48 HOUR BACK UP DAY ON SATURDAY MORNING. AGAIN, OVER ALL, IN A VERY FAVORABLE WEATHER PATTERN FOR A MORNING LAUNCH TIME FRAME FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. >> THANK YOU, JESSICA. NOW WE WILL START TAKING QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. FOR REPORTERS, PRESS STAR 1 TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS AND THOSE ON-LINE CAN USE THE #COUNTDOWNTOMARS. >> CAN YOU HEAR ME? >> YES. >> HELLO IN. >> YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. >> YES, GREAT. I CANNOT REMEMBER SO MUCH COMPANY ON THE WAY TO MARS AS THERE IS HAPPENING THIS YEAR. I WAS WONDERING IF EITHER MR. BRIDENSTINE OR THE DOCTOR COULD COMMENT ON CHINA ON THE WAY TO MARS AND IF THERE IS ANY SENSE OF COMPETITION AND IS THE PRESSURE ON NOW THAT THE WORLD [INAUDIBLE] COMING UP. THANKS. >> SURE, I'LL START. NUMBER ONE, WE WELCOME MORE NATIONS TAKING TRIPS TO MARS AND STUDYING IT AND DELIVERING THE SCIENCE AND SHARING THE SCIENCE WITH THE WORLD. IT'S A VERY UNITING KIND OF THING. I DON'T SEE THIS AS A COMPETITION AT ALL. THIS IS OUR NINTHS TIME TO GO TO MARS AND LAND SOFTLY AND DO ROBOTIC EXPERIMENTS AND DISCOVERY. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR DECADES SUCCESSFULLY. AND, OF COURSE, THIS MISSION IS BY FAR THE MOST SOPHISTICATED MISSION EVER. I DON'T SEE IT AS A COMPETITION, BUT CERTAINLY WE WELCOME MORE EXPLORERS TO DELIVER MORE SCIENCE THAN EVER BEFORE AND SEEING WHAT IT IS THEY ARE ABLE TO DISCOVER. >> I THINK MY QUESTION IS FOR MATT. YOU MENTIONED YOU WORKED ON NUMEROUS ROVERS BEFORE. YOU LISTED ALL THE FIRSTS. CAN YOU COMPLAYER THE COMPLEXITY AND RISKS WITH CURIOSITY AND PREVIOUS MISSIONS. EVERYONE WAS KEYED UP FOR CURIOSITY LANDING IN 2012 AND THE SKY CRANE WAS NEW. GIVEN YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE RISKS AND COMPLEXITY COMPARED TO PRIOR NASA ROVERS. THANKS. >> SURE. FROM A COMPLEXITY PERSPECTIVE IT IS A MORE SOPHISTICATED VEHICLE. WE ARE CARRYING 50% MORE SURFACE PAY LOAD THAN CURIOSITY DID. THAT WAS, BY FAR, THE MOST COMPLEX THING WE HAD DONE UP UNTIL THAT TIME. WE ARE TAKING THIS A STEP FURTHER. THE SAMPLING SYSTEM WE HAVE ON THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE WE ARE COLLECTING ROCKS AND SOIL SAMPLES THAT WE ULTIMATELY WANT TO BRING BACK TO THE EARTH AND LOOK FOR REALLY TRACE CHEMICAL SIGNATURES FROM BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, VERY FAINT SIGNATURES, THE SYSTEM THAT WE USE TO COLLECT THOSE SAMPLES HAS TO BE IMMENSELY CLEAN. AND SO WE HAD TO STERILIZE IT AND CLEAN IT FROM AN ORGANICS AND CHEMICAL PERSPECTIVE AND KEEP IT THAT WAY FROM THE REST OF THE SYSTEMS THAT WE HAD TO USE TO GET THE SYSTEM TO MARS. THAT WAS FROM A COMPLEXITY PERSPECTIVE REALLY ANOTHER STEP BEYOND WHAT WE DID ON CURIOSITY. YOU KNOW, FROM A RISK PERSPECTIVE I THINK ONE -- STILL THE HIGHEST RISK PORTION OF ALL THE MISSIONS IS THE LANDING PROCESS. YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE 7 MINUTES OF TERROR, THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO. WE HIT, WE CALL IT DO EDL, DO ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING. WE SEND A MESSAGE THAT SAYS THAT AND THE SPACECRAFT ON ITS OWN HAS TO GET FROM OUTSIDE THE PLANET MOVING AT 12,000 MILES PER HOUR ALL THE WAY DOWN SAFELY TO THE SURFACE WITHOUT ANY HUMAN INTERACTION. AND IT'S BASICALLY A CONTROLLED DISASSEMBLY THE WHOLE WAY. IT IS BY FAR THE MOST COMPLEX OR THE MOST, THE HIGHEST RISK PORTION PHASE OF THE MISSION STILL. WE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE ON 2020 TO HAVE LEVERAGE THE SYSTEM THAT WE DESIGNED ON CURIOSITY. SO NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE ALL THE TESTING BEHIND US ON THIS SYSTEM THAT WE DID BEFORE WE LAUNCHED AND LANDED CURIOSITY, WE HAVE THE CURIOSITY FLIGHT ITSELF AND THE TELEEM TREE THAT CAME BACK AND IT PERFORMED WELL DURING THAT MISSION. AND WE DID ADDITIONAL TESTING TO LAUNCH THIS SPACECRAFT. STILL NO GUARANTEES, YOU KNOW. OUR HEARTS WILL STILL BE BEATING HARD WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT OF THE MISSION. I DO THINK IT IS AN ADVANTAGE THAT WE HAVE. THIS IS NOT A FIRST TIME LANDING SYSTEM, AS WE HAD ON CURIOSITY. [INAUDIBLE] >> IF WE LANDED WITH THE CURIOSITY SYSTEM AS IT IS WE WOULDN'T GO WHERE WE ARE, RIGHT? >> I MENTIONED BRIEFLY BEFORE FOR THE FIRST TIME WE ARE GOING TO USE A HAZARD AVOIDOUS SYSTEM, AUTONOMOUS AVOIDANCE SYSTEM. IT WILL ALLOWITOUS GO TO THE CRATER, AN INTERESTING SCIENTIFIC SITE. IT HAS ROCKS AND ESCARPMENTS AND SAND DUNES AND VARIATION IN TERRAIN AND IS WONDERFUL FOR SCIENTISTS. BUT THEY ALL REPRESENT LANDING HAZARDS FOR US. TO GET TO A SCIENTIFICALLY VALUABLE SITE WE HAD TO DEVELOP A NEW HAZARD AVOIDANCE SYSTEM AND WE ARE FLYING THAT. IT'S A SYSTEM THAT ESSENTIALLY USES ORBITAL IMAGERY FROM OUR OTHER SPACECRAFT. WE IDENTIFY HAZARDS ON THE SURFACE. WE MARK THE HAZARDS ON A MAP AND LOAD THAT MAP ON TO THE SPACECRAFT. AS WE ARE COMING DOWN GETTING CLOSE TO THE PLANET WE TAKE A PICTURE AND FIND OURSELVES IN THE HAZARD MAP THAT WE HAVE ON BOARD AND THEN WE DIVERT AWAY FROM THE MOST SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS TO THE SPACECRAFT. AND SO IT DOES SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE OUR PROBABILITY OF LANDING IN A SAFE WAY, PARTICULARLY IN ROUGH TERRAIN. THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE TESTED EXTENSIVELY, THOMAS IN PARTICULAR WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ALL OF THE NECESSARY CHECKS AND BALANCES AND RIGOROUS REVIEWS IN LACE FOR THIS SYSTEM -- IN PLACE FOR THIS SYSTEM BEFORE WE SELECTED THE FINAL DESTINATION. WE HAVE EXERCISED THE SYSTEM OUT IN THE DESERT WITH SIMULATED LANDINGS AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS AND IT JUST WORKS EXTREMELY WELL. IT IS A POWERFUL AND ROBUST SYSTEM AND WE HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE. >> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT QUESTION FROM JACKIE GODDARD OF THE TIMES OF LONDON. >> HELLO. MAYBE THIS QUESTION IS FOR MATT. I THINK THE AUDIO IS AN INTERESTING EXTRA ON THIS MISSION. WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ADDING THIS EXTRA SENSORY DIAMERICANIZATION DIMENSION TO THESYSTEM? WHEN DOES IT KICK IN? >> WE'LL TURN ON THE MICROPHONE EARLY IN THE PROCESS BEFORE WE DEPLOY THE PARACHUTE AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO HEAR SOME OF THE SPACECRAFT PYROTECHNIC EVENTS AND THE ATMOSPHERE AT SOME LEVEL INTERACTING WITH THE SPACECRAFT ITSELF. SO WE TURN IT ON PRETTY EARLY IN THE ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING SYSTEM. THE MICROPHONE WE EXPECT TO SURVIVE LANDING AND TO BE USABLE ON THE SURFACE. WE HAVE TWO MICROPHONES, I'M TALKING ABOUT A GENERAL ENGINEERING MICROPHONE NOW. WE DO THINK THAT MICROPHONE WILL BE ABLE TO HEAR OUR BIG ROTARY PERCUSSIVE DRILL ON THE END OF THE ROBOT ARM AS IT JACKHAMMERS ITS WAY INTO ROCKS AS WELL AS THE WHEELS CRUNCHING OVER THE SURFACE OF MARS. WE THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO HEAR THOSE THINGS. FROM AN ENGINEERING DIAGNOSTIC PERSPECTIVE WE ARE NOT QUITE SURE HOW IT WILL HELP US. THAT IS SOMETHING WE'LL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND AS WE GET EXPERIENCE WITH IT. THERE IS A SECOND MICROPHONE MOUNTED ON THE TOP OF THE MAST AASSOCIATINGED WITH ONE OF OUR INSTRUMENTS. THE INSTRUMENT IS CALLED SUPER CAM. IT IS A LASER SPECHTROMETER AND FIRES A LASER AND CREATES A PLASMA CLOUD WITH THE ROCKS AND DUST IT INTERACTS WITH. WHEN WE FIRE THIS IN OUR TEST BEDS YOU CAN HEAR A POP. YOU CAN HEAR THE ZAP ALMOST. THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY IS HOPING WITH THAT TARGETED MICROPHONE ON TOP OF THE MAST THEY WILL LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE COMPOSITION OF THE THINGS THE LACEAR IS INTERACTING -- LASER IS INTERACTING W. IT'S A BIT OF AN EXPERIMENT. WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS BEFORE. IT'S THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE TAKEN THIS HUMAN SENTENCE TO MARS AND EXER -- SENSE TO MARKED AND EXERCISED IT. WE'LL LEARN AS WE GO. >> THANK YOU. >> SURE. >> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT QUESTION COMES FROM IRENE. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HAS THE REPOSITIONING OF THE NASA THREE MARS ORBITERS BEGUN TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, I GUESS, IT'S REAL TIME AS POSSIBLE FOR THE ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING? >> I'M NOT QUITE SURE I HEARD THE ENTIRE QUESTION BUT IT'S RELATEED TO THE NASA ORBITERS AND THEIR SUPPORT ROLE IN ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING? >> YEAH. IF THAT REPOSITIONING IF ANY HAS ALREADY STARTED OR WHEN YOU EXPECT TO DO THAT AND WHICH ORBITERS WILL BE USED. >> WE ARE PRIMARILY GOING TO USE THE MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER, MRO. AND IT HAS A MINOR AMOUNT OF REPOSITIONING AS YOU MENTIONED, THAT WILL BE REQUIRED SO IT IS EXACTLY OVERHEAD OF THE CRATER. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT HAS STARTED YET. WE HAVE PLENTY EVER TIME TO GET THAT DONE BEFORE WE LAND. >> THANK YOU. >> WE'LL TAKE A QUESTION FROM SOCIAL MEDIA. [INAUDIBLE] WHAT SORT OF DATA WOULD PERSEVERANCE GATHER OFF THE MARS SURFACE? [INAUDIBLE] >> WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE SCIENCE MISSION OF THE PROJECT. YOU KNOW, THOMAS YOU WANT TO? >> THAT'S WHY WE ARE GOING THERE. THE OTHER THING I WANT TO SAY, A SHOW RIGHT AFTER THIS REALLY FOCUSED ON SCIENCE AND IF YOU LOOK BACK FROM LOOK AT THE DATA WE ARE GOING TO GATHER, WE TALKED ABOUT THE WEATHER INSTRUMENT AND A WEATHER STATIONS RIGHT THERE IN THE CRATER. YOU GO LOOK AT THAT CAMERAS AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS CAMERAS. TALKED ABOUT SUPER CAM. THERE IS A CAMERA WITH A FIELD OF VIEW AND RESOLUTION QUITE UNPRECEDENTED. THE INSTRUMENTS LOOKING AT COMPOSITION. SOME OF THEM REMOTELY, SOME OF THEM BY LOOKING AT SAMPLES AND EQUIPPING US TO GATHER THE RIGHT SAMPLES TO ACTUALLY GATHER THEM AND PUT THEM INTO THESE VERY CLEAN SATCHEL TUBES TO BRING -- SAMPLE TUBES TO BRING BACK. EVERYTHING IS SET UP TO GET US THE ULTIMATE DATA. WE WANT TO GATHER SAMPLES, FOR US THOSE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS SAMPLES IN TERMS OF HUME A HUMAS FAR AS ANSWERING NOT ONLY THE SAMPLE ITSELF BUT THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE SAMPLE IS COLLECTED. WE LEARN FROM GEOLOGY HERE AND IMPORTANT ANALYSIS IN EVERY ENVIRONMENT THAT IN FACT THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. I WANT TO BLOCK THE SESSION LATER. WHAT DID I MISS? >> YOU HIT MOST OF. IT WE HAVE POWERFUL SPECHTROMETERS AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE ROCK AND RESOLUTION AND UNDERSTAND FROM SPOT TO SPOT HOW THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE ROCK CHANGES. WE HAVE SPECHTROMETERS ON TOP OF THE MAST, THE SUPER CAM. WE HAVE ZOOM CAMERAS UP THERE AS WELL. WE HAVE THE WEATHER STATION. WE HAVE A SUBSURFACE RADAR SOUNDER FOR THE FIRST TIME TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE LANDING SITE. THAT IS THE NOREGIAN PROVIDED RADAR I MENTIONED FROM BEFORE. WE HAVE A POWERFUL SUITE OF INSTRUMENTS TO HELP US DO WHAT THOMAS SAID, WHICH IS FIND THE RIGHT SAMPLES TO COLLECT. WE CAN'T BRING BACK A LOT. A LOT OF MATERIAL WHEN WE BRING THE SAMPLES BACK, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GO TO THE RIGHT SITE AND PICK THE RIGHT TARGETS AND MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT AND CHEMISTRY OF THE TARGETS WHEN WE BRING THEM BACK. >> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT IS THIS DATA COMING BACK. YOU MENTIONED THE IDEA YOU CAN SHOOT ENERGY INTO A MATERIAL, THINK OF RADIO WAVES OR IN THIS CASE LIGHT WAVES OR INFRARED WAVES AND CERTAIN WAVE LENGTHS BOUNCE BACK AND OTHER WAVE LENGTHS ARE ABSORBED. BASED ON THAT WE CAN MAKE DETERMINATIONS AS TO THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE MATERIALS. HERE ON EARTH WHAT WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING IS THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF MATERIALS WHERE WE KNOW THAT CHEMICAL COMPOSITION WAS A RESULT OF ANCIENT LIFE HERE ON EARTH. WE ARE TAKING WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM OUR OWN PLANET AND APPLYING IT TO ANOTHER PLANET TO MAKE DETERMINATIONS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS MAYBE AT ONE TIME BIOLOGY. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MICROBIAL ORGANISMS ON MARS. AND ONCE WE MAKES THAT DETERMINATION WE, NO KIDDING CACHE A SAMPLE. IF WE FEEL THERE IS HIGH PROBABILITY THERE COULD BE LIFE IN THAT PLACE, WE CACHE A SATCHEL SO ONE DAY FOUR YEARS FROM NOW OR I SHOULD SAY 2026, SIX YEARS FROM NOW, WE CAN BRING IT BACK TO EARTH AND STUDY IT AND ACTUALLY MAKE A NO KIDDING DETERMINATION WHETHER OR NOT HUMANS OR I SHOULD SAY EARTH IS THE ONLY PLACE IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM THAT HAS THE CAPEABILITY OF HOSTING LIFE. THAT IS, I THINK, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS ABOUT THIS MISSION. >> THANK YOU ALL. IN MANY WAYS YOU HAVE ASKED THE NEXT QUESTION. WHY DO WE NEED ANOTHER ROVER THERE? WHAT MORE CAN WE LEARN FROM MARS? >> THERE IS A LOT. >> WHAT IS REALLY INTERESTING IS EVERY TIME WE BUILD A ROVER AND WE SEND IT THERE, WE TAKE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS WE HAVE. SPIR AND IT OPPORTUNITY WE TALKED -- SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY, QUESTIONS ABOUT WATER. THE HISTORY OF WATER AT THE SURFACE. MARS. THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT COMP COMPT IS LAID OUT FOR THAT. AND QUESTIONS THAT ARE OPEN AND WHAT WE ARE LEARNING FROM CURIOSITY THERE ARE SURPRISES EVEN TODAY AT THE LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY IN SOM THE ORGANICS IS MUCH HIGHER. IT TURNS OUT THE WORLDCOM PLEXI MEANS THE MORE COMPLEX THE MORE LIFE, THE MORE LIKELIHOOD OF LIFE. SO NOW WHAT -- PERSEVERANCE THAT HAD AT THE CORE OF ITS MISSION THE QUESTION ABOUT LIFE, ASTRO-BIOLOGY, AND THE INSTRUMENTS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FOR THAT. I WOULD ARGUE IT IS VERY HARD TO IMAGINE COMING UP WITH THAT INSTRUMENT COMPLIMENT IN THAT LOCATION WITHOUT THE OTHER INSIGHTS WE GOT FROM THE OTHER MISSIONS BEFORE, THE ONES I MENTIONED AS WELL AS OTHERS. FOR US IT IS VERY DIFFERENT. IN SCIENCE WHEN YOU PEEL BACK A LAYER IT'S NOT LIKE AN ONION WHERE THE LAYER COMES FROM BELOW LOOKS LIKE THE LAYER ABOVE. IT IS A DIFFERENT SET OF QUESTIONS THAT ARE THERE. IT IS QUESTIONS HUMANS HAVE ASKED AND ARE ANSWERING FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH THE TOOLS OF SCIENCE FOR THE BEST CHO SEUNG-HUI CAN. FOR ME -- THE BEST WAY WE CAN. IT'S A QUESTION, OLD QUESTION. READ OLD PHILOSOPHERS OF THE PAST. PEOPLE HAVE ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS AND WE ARE STARTING TO ADDRESS IT WITH THE INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE THERE. THAT'S THE AMAZING PART OF IT. >> WE WILL GO TO VERY LONG QUESTION FROM OUR -- TO ANOTHER QUESTION FROM OUR REPORTERS ON THE LINE. >> THANK YOU. THIS IS FOR MATT. YOU MENTIONED YOU HAD TO PULL OFF A MAGIC TRICK IF INGENUITY AND WHAT THE CHALLENGES WERE POSED BY THE ADDITIONAL PAY LOAD. >> CAN I START THIS ONE IF IT'S ALL RIGHT? THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAULT, MATT. I APOLOGIZE. THOMAS BROUGHT THIS INTO THE ADMINISTRATORS SUITE IN MY EARLY DAYS AS BEING THE NASA ADMINISTRATOR AND HE HAD THIS HEY, WHAT IF WE WERE TO DO THIS? I LOVERED IT AND TOLD THOMAS -- I LOVED IT AND TOLD THOMAS WHATEVER CAN YOU DO TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, DO THAT. HE BROUGHT IT TO AND YOU IT WAS NOT EASY TO GET DONE. I SENT A TWEET IT WASN'T CALLED INGENUITY AT THE TIME IT WAS THE MARS HELICOPTER. I SENT A TWEET AT 5:00 FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TWITTER FOLLOWERS AND WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO THERE ARE 5,000 RETWEETS AND IT JUST CAUGHT FIRE AND ALL THE MEDIA STARTED COVERING. IT WAS A VERY EXCITING MOMENT. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE. >> I WILL SAY I REMEMBER AN ALL HANDS MEETING WHERE RIGHT AFTER WE WERE ASKED TO ACCOMMODATE THE HELICOPTER AND SOME OF THE MANAGERS WERE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND WONDERING HOW WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS. I ASKED FOR A SHOW OF HANDS FROM OUROIN TEAM WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE HELICOPTER ON THIS MISSION? PRETTY MUCH EVERY HAND WENT UP. EVEN THE PEOPLE WHO HAD TO FIGURE IT OUT WERE EXCITED BY THE PROJECT. IT WAS DIFFICULT. IT IS A VERY, VERY UNUSUAL PAY LOAD. IT IS VERY LIGHT WEIGHT BECAUSE IT HAS TO FLY IN A VERY LOW DENSITY AIR. IT HAS BIG, STIFF, CARBON FIBER BLADES THAT HAVE TO BE PROTECTED FROM TH DEBRIS WE KICK UP. IT HAS LEGS THAT IT HAS TO FOLD UP AND HAVE TO BE DEPLOYED OUT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE -- YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY THE ROVER WAS FULL. THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHERE C SYSTEMS SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THEM WARM WAS FULL. THE TOP OF THE VEHICLE WAS PRETTY MUCH OVER POPULATED ALREADY. SO WE HAD TO COME UP WITH A WAY OF ACCOMMODATING IT AND WE DECIDED TO PUT IT UP UNDER THE BELLY OF THE VEHICLE. THE BELLY PAN IS A SEPARATABLE THING. WE COULD TAKE IT OFF AND GIVE IT TO THE TEAM AND THEY USED SOME OF OUR EXISTING MOTORS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE HUNTED AROUND FOR AVAILABLE SPARE PLATE HARDWARE TO DECIDE HOW TO DO IT AND GET IT ON THE VEHICLE IN A WAY THAT ONE KEPT THE HELICOPTER SAFE AND TWO ALLOWED US TO DEPLOY IT OFF THE VEHICLE IN A WAY THAT IT WOULDN'T REPRESENT A RISKER THREAT -- RISK OR THREAT TO THE MISSION. THE OBJECTSIVE WAS DO NO HARM TO THE PRIMARY MISSION. THIS WAS AN EXPERIMENT. OUR TEAM WAS OVER SUBSCRIBED JUST WITH ENGINEERING CHALLENGES OURSELVES, THE SAMPLING SYSTEM AND THE INSTRUMENTS. WE MADE A PHONE CALL AND ONE OF OUR SYSTEM CONTRACTORS LOCKHEED MARTIN IN DENVER STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE. WE PROVIDED THEM A BASIC DESIGN AND HARDWARE AND SOME ENGINEERING SUPPORT AND WERE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACCOMMODATE IT UNDER THE VEHICLE. WE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF TESTING TO MAKE SURE IT WOULD DEPLOY APPROPRIATELY AND SAFELY ON THE SURFACE OF MARS. WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO OPERATE IT ONCE WE GOT IT THERE. WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE ISSUES. WE'LL BE READY TO GO WHEN IT'S TIME TO FLY THE HELICOPTER ON MARS. BUT IT WASN'T EASY. >> FANTASTIC. WE WILL TAKE OUR LAST QUESTION FROM LEO. >> THANKS. THANKS TO MATT AND TO THE DOCTOR FOR THEIR WONDERFUL CONTRIBUTIONS. MY QUESTION IS FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR. MARS 2020 IS BASICALLY MARS 2026. I HAVE TO ASK A POLITICAL QUESTION I THINK I CAN ASK BECAUSE I'M AN OCEAN AWAY SO NOBODY WILL THINK I HAVE AN AGENDA. A LOT OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS WOULD BE WONDERING WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONTINUE TO SERVE AS NASA ADMINISTRATOR NO MATTER WHO GETS ELECTED IN NOVEMBER? ASSUME, OF COURSE, YOU ARE ASKED. >> LOOK, MY JOB RIGHT NOW IS TO DO THESE STUNNING ACHIEVEMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION, BUT LOOK, I SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE PRESIDENT. I SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE CURRENT PRESIDENT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THE NEXT PRESIDENT HAS THE NASA ADMINISTRATOR THAT HE WANTS. THE WAY THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES WORKS THE NASA ADMINISTRATOR IS SELECTED BY THE PRESIDENT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP. LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM WE ARE GOING TO THE MOON SUSTAINABLY WITH A PURPOSE TO GET TO MARS. BECAUSE OF THAT WE HAVE HAD REALLY BIG BUDGET REQUESTS. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAS PUT ON THE TABLE THE BIGGEST BUDGET NASA HAS EVER HAD IN NOMINAL DOLLARS EVER. IN REAL DOLLARS APOLLO WAS BIGGER. BUT WE ARE HEADING THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THAT IS BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TRUSTS THE NASA AD MIN STRAIGHTER. I WOULD RECOMMEND TO WHATEVER THE PRESIDENT IS AT ANY POINT IN TIME PICK THE ADMINISTRATOR YOU TRUST TO GET THE JOB DONE, PERIOD, END OF STORY. LOOK, I HAVE HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE IN THIS JOB. I WILL NOT LIE, IT'S THE GREATEST JOB I HAVE EVER HAD. THERE IS A TIME WHEN IT IS SOMEBODY ELSE'S TURN. I WANT UNDER NO ILLUSIONS I AM THE ONLY ONE CAPABLE OF DOING THIS JOB. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE BETTER THAN ME AND I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION WANT. >> THANK YOU. WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO FINAL REMARKS FROM THE NASA ADMINISTRATOR. >> THANK YOU FOR THE PANEL PARTICIPATING IN THIS TODAY. WHAT AN EXCITING TIME. AND I KNOW WE JUST HAD THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT INGENUITY AND THE HELICOPTER THAT IS GOING TO FLY ON MARS. I WANT TO KIND OF PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE FOR A MOMENT. IMAGINE LOOKING FROM PERSEVERANCE OUT AT A HELICOPTER THAT IS FLYING AROUND PERSEVERANCE AND THE HELICOPTER IS LOOKING BACK AT PIERCE PERSEVERANCE AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE WITH OUR OWN EYES WITH MOTION PICTURES THESE KIND OF ACTIVITIES HAPPENING ON ANOTHER WORLD. AND I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM ABOUT INGENUITY AND PERSEVERANCE THE FIRST ASTRO-BIOLOGY MISSION. WE ARE PROVING OUT WE CAN TURN THE CARBON DIOXIDE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS INTO PURE OXYGEN FOR LIFE SUPPORT BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT HAS GIVEN US AN AGENDA TO PLANT AN AMERICAN FLAG ON MARS AND TO GO WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS AND OUR COMMERCIAL PARTNERS, ALL OF WHICH IS IN PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SPACE POLICY DIRECTIVE 1. WE HAVE THIS BIG AGENDA. THIS IS A PRECURSOR MISSION BUT ALSO A SCIENTIFIC MISSION IN ITS OWN RIGHT AND THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO DISCOVER AND WE ARE SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR PAYING ATTENTION. IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW US, IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE WITH US VIRTUALLY FROM THURSDAY FORWARD NASA.GOV. I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO TO NASA.GOV. THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION. WE WANT TO INSPIRE PEOPLE. HAVE YOUR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS TUNE IN. THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT FOR NOT JUST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BUT ALSO FOR THE WORLD. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, JIM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING OUR CONVERSATION. THE NEXT WILL BE THE MARSES 202. AND LAUNCH KOFRPAGE ON THURSDAY AT 7:00 A.M. AND THE LAUNCH AT SEVEN:50. CAN YOU CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THE GREATNESS OF THIS ROVER 202N TWITTER AND FACEBOOK. AND #COUNTDOWNTOMARS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON. THANK YOU.
Hypothetically, if life is found on mars would NASA disclose it directly or would it stay a secret for some time?