28 April 2025
Focus
MARS, THEY’RE COMING !
Published on21.09.2020
The summer of 2020 was decidedly Martian. While three missions successively took off to Mars in July, the Cité de l’espace devoted two days to the conquest of the red planet. On July 20th, experts, engineers, and scientists who worked on Mission Mars 2020 were present at the Cité de l’espace to share their experience with the public. Visitors had the opportunity to talk with specialists and to take in the life size model of the Perseverance Mars 2020 rover mission, on loan all summer long to the Cité de l’espace by CNES. One of the main instruments on the Rover, the SuperCam laser camera designed and produced mainly in Toulouse (IRAP/CNES) attracted a lot of attention. There were also lots of indoor and outdoor special events.
On July 30th, the launch of the Mars 2020 mission was rebroadcast on a giant screen in the gardens of the Cité de l’espace as well as on the screens of the halls and rooms, in the presence of Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of the CNES. Emotions were high at this exciting day organized in partnership with CNES and attended by many visitors including employees from CNES, IRAP and laboratories affiliated with the Mars 2020 mission. The events scheduled to better understand this Martian conquest were a huge success with visitors of all ages. Take note: the Perseverance Martian rover of the Mars 2020 mission will land on February 18, 2021 in the Jezero crater located north of the equator of Mars, after a 7 month voyage. To celebrate this occasion, the Cité de l’espace will organize a day of scientific mediation as well as the live broadcast of the landing!
