When the 'Mars' mission commander breaks new ground — Commander's Report: sol 6

How Mars became the prize for a new space race — and why China is hellbent on winning it

Perseverance carries a small microphone that, if all goes well, will record the sounds of the descent and the martian environment, something no Mars probe has achieved. Space agencies have many thousands of images of planetary exploration but precious little in the way of alien soundtracks.

National Geographic's 'Built for Mars' will let you tag along with NASA's Perseverance Mars rover landing