Editor’s note: This media advisory was updated Feb. 22 to correct Helen Hwang’s role on the Mars 2020 mission.
NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley invites members of the news media to interview a local expert about the historic landing of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.
Helen Hwang is the science missions development manager for the Entry Systems and Technology Division at Ames, and managed the team that adapted the heat shield material, known as Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator, or PICA, for use in Perseverance.
She will be available for video or phone interviews between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. PST on Thursday, Feb. 18. Hwang will discuss Ames’ contributions to landing the Perseverance rover safely on Mars and how this mission advances NASA’s high-priority exploration goals.
On Feb. 18, the mission’s spacecraft will plunge through the Martian atmosphere and begin the most nail-biting phase of the mission: entry, descent, and landing. During this seven-minute period, the rover will be protected by a robust thermal protection system that was originally developed at Ames to withstand the intense speed and heat that occurs before touching down on the surface of Mars.
Embarking on a new phase of scientific exploration of the Red Planet, Perseverance carries science instruments and technologies, including the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. The rover will seek signs of ancient life on the Red Planet as a primary goal.
The landing of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is scheduled for 12:55 p.m. PST on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. NASA will host virtual news briefings, live shows, and other activities the week of Feb. 15 to discuss events surrounding the landing of its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. Live landing commentary will begin at 11:15 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, the NASA app, and several other platforms. Full details and additional mission resources are available in the NASA Headquarters media advisory.
NASA will also provide a live Spanish-language landing commentary show, “Juntos Perseveramos,” on NASA en Español’s YouTube channel. Coverage begins at 11:30 a.m.
For interviews with Hwang, please RSVP by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17, by contacting the Ames newsroom at 650-604-4789 or arc-dl-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov
For more information about Ames’ contributions to the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission, visit:
A media resource reel is available:
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Darryl Waller
Ames Research Center, Silicon Valle
650-604-4789
darryl.e.waller@nasa.gov
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