Life on Mars

Saint Louis Science Center welcomes display featuring full-scale replica of Mars rovers

Mars is located nearly 300 million miles away from Earth, but exploration brings us closer to the Red Planet every day. Through NASA’s “Roving with Perseverance” program on display at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, the Saint Louis Science Center brings key parts of that exploration here to the Metro Area.

“Roving with Perseverance” presents full-scale replicas of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover and Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which are exploring the Red Planet right now as part of the Mars 2020 Mission, to demonstrate the scale and technology required for space exploration.

As big as a car, Perseverance is a seven-foot-tall, six-wheeled vehicle that towers over most guests, while Ingenuity showcases that great things come in small packages, standing at just 19 inches and weighing four pounds. In addition to the models, the exhibit offers interactive tabletop displays and other family-friendly activities. The “Roving with Perseverance” display can be found through June 2024 in the Science Center’s “Mission: Mars” gallery on the first floor of the McDonnell Planetarium.

“St. Louis has played a prominent role in America’s space history, and the Science Center is proud to carry on this tradition as the focus moves forward exploring Mars,” William Snyder, manager of the Science Center’s James S. McDonnell Planetarium noted. “Through the display of these replicas and much more, visitors to our ‘Mission: Mars’ gallery can discover more about our neighboring planet.”

Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on July 30, 2020, Perseverance landed on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. The most sophisticated rover NASA has sent to the Red Planet, its mission is to search for signs of ancient microbial life, collect and document rock and sediment samples, characterize the geology and climate, and pave the way for human exploration. The rover is about 10 feet long by nine feet wide and weighs more than 2,200 pounds. It carries 23 cameras to share views of the planet within minutes of capture.

An autonomous aircraft, Ingenuity was carried to Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover. This helicopter is the first powered aircraft to fly in a controlled way on another planet and is used to test performances by aircraft in sphere. Since its first flight in April 2021, Ingenuity has completed 50-plus flights, For more on the Mars 2020 Mission,

The ‘Mission: Mars’ gallery is free and open to the public during regular hours (Thursdays through Mondays). For more ence Center, please visit slsc.org or call