On the observation deck of the Operations and Support Building II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Thomas Zurbuchen, center, NASA associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, prepares to view the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket on July 30, 2020. Liftoff occurred at 7:50 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At left is Joan Irvin, and at right is Danielle Marsh. Both were former students who now work on NASA Planetary Science missions. The rover is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management.