American singer Gregory Porter performs onstage during the Nice’s Jazz Festival on July 17, 2018, in Nice, southeastern France. Image: AFP/Valery Hache
For this historic event, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter will deliver a rendition of the patriotic anthem “America the Beautiful” from his home in California.
“I have always been inspired by space exploration ever since I was a boy, and it continues to fill me with awe when I look to the sky at night. It is wonderful to be part of this spectacular event and share in a collective moment of interplanetary adventure with millions around the world,” Gregory Porter said in a statement.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission is scheduled to launch at 7:50 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 30 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
The mission aims to collect a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth in the future, as well as test new technology to benefit future robotic and human exploration to Mars.
“The launch of the Mars Perseverance rover from America’s shore to the Jezero crater on Mars is a milestone in humanity’s history. The fact that this flight must be completed in a moment of America’s story that calls for the very best in us to persevere, we felt it fitting to signal this send-off with a focus on what makes America beautiful,” Paul Wizikowski, executive producer of NASA’s launch broadcast, commented in a statement.
The launch of the agency’s Mars 2020 Mission will air live on its official website and NASA Television, as well as numerous other platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and Daily Motion.
Space enthusiasts can attend the event virtually, and register online to receive mission updates and other exciting opportunities normally only available to on-site guests. CL
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