After Dark: Mars!

NASA’s Perseverance rover has been hard at work exploring the Red Planet hundreds of millions of miles from our planet. Here on Earth you can experience a full-scale, lifelike model and some out-of-this world programs starting with tonight’s After Dark.

Since landing on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, Perseverance has been hunting for signs of ancient microbial life in order to collect and store samples of Martian rock and sediment to be retrieved by planned future missions for closer study on Earth. Join NASA Jet Propulsion Lab scientists and engineers to learn about the mission, the data the rover is collecting, their findings, the possibility of life on Mars, and the engineering and technology behind the rover.

The Mars Perseverance Model is on loan from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of their Roving with Perseverance tour.

Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Mars Helicopter: Ingenuity
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3

Take a look at the model of a new, ingenious Mars explorer. Ingenuity is a small, autonomous aircraft that hitched a ride to Mars attached to the belly of Perseverance. Its first flight on April 19, 2021, was a major milestone: the aircraft climbed to about 3 meters (10 feet) above ground, briefly hovered in the air, completed a turn, and landed. It was the first powered, controlled flight in the extremely thin Martian atmosphere and the first on another planet! Ingenuity has performed additional flights, going incrementally longer distances and reaching higher altitudes. What’s learned from these test flights will inform future research and innovation on how rovers and aerial explorers can work together.

Space Cinema
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Osher Gallery 1, Microcinema

Settle in to reflect on the beauty of space—both true and imagined. This collection of short films pulls from artist-made stories of the worlds beyond Earth; documentaries; archival musings; and short, sometimes sci-fi animations. Also featured are films that look toward the most awe-inspiring of Earth-bound landscapes, with mystical terrains that make them seem beyond this world.

Roving with Perseverance
6:00–7:30 and 9:00–10:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio 

Take a deep dive into Perseverance’s fantastic journey with these highlights from the many animations, photographs, movies, and documentation that offer insight into Persy’s journey so far. From construction and pre-launch, through the images being sent back from Mars on a regular basis, this multi-screen viewing space takes you through Persy’s life on Mars. An evocative soundscape by Wayne Grim and an immersive video experience by Rick Danielson set the mood.

Mars Mission Q&A
With Members of NASA’s Mars Mission Team
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3

While Ingenuity is the name of a different space explorer, NASA’s Perseverance rover is certainly an ingenious technological and scientific achievement. Outfitted with seven instruments, over twenty cameras, and two microphones, Persy builds on the work of previous Mars missions with the goal of offering new insights into the Red Planet. NASA’s Mars missions are developed and overseen by an expansive team of scientists, engineers, technicians, and researchers. Join members of the team to learn more about the 2020 mission, Perseverance, and the extensive innovation and iterations the team went through to get the rover’s launch ready. 

Tinkering School Mars Mission Q&A
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3

Tinkering School (TS), a San Francisco–based educational program dedicated to youth-centered making and tinkering, created Tinkering School Mars Mission as an Earth-bound program that maintains the accuracy and challenges of real Mars rover operations. Inspired by (but not associated with) NASA’s Mars missions, the TS team, composed of young people ages 14-20, collaborated to build an educational hands-on experience operating rovers in a simulated Martian lava tube. Join members of the team to learn more about their mission and prototypes and to test drive the newest generation of their rovers.

Rover Roundup
With Emily Cardarelli
7:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio

Since landing inside the 45 kilometer (28 mile wide) Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, Percy has been busy at work observing the Mars environment, capturing images, and collecting samples for future retrieval. As we reach the one-year anniversary of Perseverance’s landing, NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission team member Dr. Emily Cardarelli will give a rover roundup, outlining how Percy has spent its first year on Mars, and the ways its moving toward key mission objectives, such as developing a better understanding of Mars’ astrobiology, including seeking signs of ancient microbial life.

Dr. Cardarelli is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory at JPL. Her research is broadly focused on understanding how minerals, microbes, and planets interact. She is presently investigating the biosignature preservation potential of magnesium carbonates in Mars-analog environments and rock-regolith geochemical transitions in Jezero crater, in pursuit of identifying unique records of geological processes on Mars.

Seeing Mars with SHERLOC
With Emily Cardarelli
8:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio

One key goal of the Mars 2020 Mission is to search for signs that Mars once supported microbial life. Perseverance is outfitted with many instruments, but its number one detective for finding clues is SHERLOC, an arm-mounted instrument that combines microscopic imaging, native fluorescence and Raman Spectroscopy to better understand the mineral and chemical makeup of the rocks on Mars. Join Dr. Emily Cardarelli, a member of the SHERLOC Instrument Team, to learn more about this cutting-edge instrument, what it’s looking for, and how researchers can use its findings to begin understanding Mars’ geological history.

Dr. Cardarelli is a postdoctoral fellow in the Astrobiogeochemistry Laboratory at JPL. Her research is broadly focused on understanding how minerals, microbes, and planets interact. She is presently investigating the biosignature preservation potential of magnesium carbonates in Mars-analog environments and rock-regolith geochemical transitions in Jezero crater, in pursuit of identifying unique records of geological processes on Mars.

DJ ABS1ER
From Hip Hop for Change
6:30–7:45 and 8:15–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3

Get ready to dance your way through the night as a DJ from Hip Hop for Change sets the vibe and keeps the party moving all night! Tonight features DJ ABS1ER.

Hip Hop for Change is an Oakland-based nonprofit that uses grassroots activism to educate people about socioeconomic injustices and advocate solutions through hip-hop culture.

Science of Cocktails
6:00–10:00 p.m.
SOLD OUT (special ticket required)
Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6

Cash Bar in Kanbar Forum
Osher Gallery 1
6:00–9:30 p.m.

Food and drinks will be available to purchase and enjoy in our Seaglass Restaurant during After Dark. Please note that there is no drinking or eating allowed elsewhere in the museum at this time.

Curious about what to expect during your visit? Check out our current safety protocols and guidelines.

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