THE SPACE FLORIDA HAS DONE
A GREAT JOB.
THERE IS ALWAYS MORE THAT WE
CAN DO AS A STATE.
THE GOVERNOR MET WITH LEADERS
AND MERRITT ISLAND TO SIGN A
BILL FOR MORE INVENTORS FOR THE
SPACE PORT AUTHORITY.
NASA LAUNCHED ITS LATEST
MISSION TO MARS ON THURSDAY TO
SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE OF PAST
LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.
THEY EXPLORED WITH THE BIGGEST
ROCKET YET.
Reporter: IT IS EMBARKING ON
A JOURNEY THAT COULD ANSWER AN
AGE-OLD QUESTION.
IT WENT RIGHT ON TIME AND IT
IS ON A TRAJECTORY THAT IS BEEN
DONE NOW WITH PINPOINT
ACCURACY.
Reporter: THE ROBOTIC
SPACECRAFT HISTORY RIDE ON AN
AMBITIOUS MISSION TO SEARCH FOR
EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT LIFE ON
MARS.
MAC WE ARE IN GREAT SHAPE.
Reporter: IF THE LINING IS
SUCCESSFUL, IT WILL DRILL INTO
MARS SURFACE TO SEARCH FOR LIFE
OF MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS THAT
MAY HAVE THRIVED ON THE PLANET
BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.
RESEARCHERS SAY THE MISSION IS
READY TO GO THINGS TO THE WORK
BEING DONE BEFORE THE
CORONAVIRUS BEGAN.
IT WAS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
FOR US TO HIT THIS WINDOW.
Reporter: SEARCHING FOR
EVIDENCE OF LIFE IS NOT THE
ONLY GOAL.
THE LATEST ROVER WILL ALSO
STUDY THE CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY
OF MARS.
THIS FIRST OF ITS KIND
HELICOPTER CAPTURING VIEWS OF
THE SERVICE.
IT IS A PROUD MOMENT AND I
AM GLAD OUR PROGRAM COULD
PROVIDE WHAT THEY NEEDED TO GET
THIS ON HIS WAY.
Reporter: PERSEVERANCE WILL
COLLECT MARTIAN ROCK AND DUST
SAMPLES WITH PLANS TO ONE DAY
RETURN THEM TO EARTH.
THE SPACECRAFT IS EXPECTED TO
TOUCH DOWN ON MARS IN FEBRUARY
OF NEXT YEAR.
CHRIS MARTINEZ, CBS NEWS, LOS
ANGELES.
