A NOVA production by Terri Randall Productions for WGBH Boston in association with Arte France and NHK.

Follow the launch and landing of NASA’s ambitious Mars 2020 Mission to hunt for signs of ancient life. Featuring a cast of young, diverse scientists, NOVA reveals the ingenuity behind the assembly and testing of the mission’s Perseverance Rover, designed to land in Jezero Crater, home to an ancient river delta that could have harbored life. In the crater’s ancient mud, the Rover’s intricate sampling system will search for fossil microbes. The show reaches its climax as the spacecraft hurtles into Mars’ atmosphere, executes a suspenseful descent maneuver, and deftly makes a pinpoint landing, watched by millions around the globe.