WELCOME
Issue 113
It’s all about the Red Planet as we start off 2021 – several missions will arrive at the fourth planet from the Sun this year. In early February the Emirati Hope orbiter will reach Mars, ready to study the Martian atmosphere up close, and the following day China’s Tianwen-1 will arrive, preparing to deploy a rover onto the surface. NASA will be ready for action on 18 February, dropping its new Perseverance rover into Jezero crater to seek signs of extinct life on the dried-out lake and riverbed. Perseverance will also unleash Ingenuity, a little helicopter that will allow humanity to try out flight on the surface of the Red Planet for the very first time – it’ll be our eyes as it scouts for areas of interest, also chartering the driving route for future rovers. Head to page 14 for our full feature on Mars.