NASA's next Mars rover honors medical teams fighting virus

NASA’s next Mars rover is houring all medical workers on front lines of coronavirus battle around world.

With just ar month until liftoff, ncy on Wednesday revealed a commemorative plate attached to rover, aptly named Perseverance.

rover team calls it COVID-19 Perseverance plate, designed in last couple months.

black and white aluminum plate — 3-by-5 inches (8-by-13 centimeters) — shows planet Earth atop a staff entwined with a serpent, a symbol of medical community. path of craft also is depicted, with its origin from Cape Canaveral.

Health care workers were “on front lines keeping us safe” during launch preparations, said deputy project manr Matt Wallace of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasena, California.

“y really inspired us, I think, through this period, and we hope that this plate and we hope that this mission in some small way can inspire m in return,” Wallace told reporters.

rover's name, Perseverance, has taken on ded meaning last few months, according to NASA officials. It's hard eugh preparing a craft for Mars, but doing it in middle of a pandemic me it even harder, Wallace said. ditional work shifts were ded to reduce number of people working on rover at any one time and ensure social distancing. Ors h to work from home.

NASA is pressing ahe with a July 20 launch, even as number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Florida. This mission — to seek signs of past microbial life on Mars and collect rock and soil samples for eventual return to Earth — is considered essential by ncy.

If rover isn't launched by mid-August, it would need to wait until 2022 when Earth and Mars are back in proper alignment. A two-year delay could d ar $500 million to nearly $3 billion mission.

Unlike for X's first astronaut launch late last month, NASA ministrator Jim Bridenstine isn't urging public to stay home and watch online to avoid crowds.

“It appears y didn't listen to us," Bridenstine said. “So we're asking people to follow all of necessary guidelines to keep mselves safe and we're trusting that y will.”

Perseverance is one of three upcoming missions to Mars. United Arab Emirates and China also are preparing craft for launch to red planet by mid-August.