As eyes set on NASA's Perseverance, world races to find Mars mysteries

A spacecraft during launch (file photo) 

The UAE on February 8 was successful in placing its "Al-Amal", meaning 'Hope' into the Mars orbit. The mission doesn't intend to land on Mars, like the US and Chinese missions, but works towards the kingdom's larger goal to create a human settlement on the planet in 100 years.

After spending seven months in space, NASA's Perseverance rover will attempt to land on the Red Planet on Tuesday, grabbing eyeballs from the scientific community across the world. The rover, about the same weight as an SUV, will attempt to collect 30 rock and soil samples over the course of years and send it back to the Earth sometime in the 2030s for analysis. 

For this mission, NASA has used state-of-the-art technology to decode secrets of the Red Planet. This includes a helicopter that will attempt the first-ever flight on another planet. Perseverance weighs a ton, which makes it the largest and most sophisticated vehicle sent to Mars. 

A file photo of Mars