Staying Apart, Together: 'Perseverance' for the weekend
It's been a tough week.
If you are in Texas or anywhere else impacted by the severe winter storms, I am thinking of you and hoping you are doing OK. The Austin-American Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, rounded up resources here for if you need help. If anyone is looking for how to help from afar, we rounded up ways you can chip in here.
When I was first reading about the storms this week, I saw someone describe them as a "once-in-a-generation" event. I thought, could we not have two once-in-a-generation events simultaneously? It's exhausting, hard and scary for so many people. I am desperately worried about my friends in Texas. I'm worried about all the usual stuff too, and thankful that I have just the basics of power and water when so many don't. I don't have magic advice to make it all better, but this week I have tried my best to get through it all mentally. I honed in on a certain Mars rover, Perseverance, for inspiration, got some extra sleep, spoke with my psychiatrist and allowed myself to relax some of my standards (my dinners don't have to be culinary works of art every single day).
In essence, what has gotten me through this week is whatever coping tools I could cling to amid the stress. I hope all of you have found something to bring you rest and relief this week. And I hope we can all, to make a ridiculously cheesy pun, persevere.
Today's Perseverance
Even if you're not usually an avid follower of every outer space development, you have to admit how cool and inspiring Perseverance is at this particular juncture in human history.
The NASA rover successfully landed on Mars on Thursday after a casual 300-million mile journey from Florida to the red planet. "Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance is safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life," exclaimed NASA engineer Swati Mohan.
Nicknamed "Percy" by mission managers, the rover launched in July 2020 and landed in the Jezero Crater on Mars on Thursday. The nuclear-powered, 2,260-pound rover's mission is to "seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth," according to NASA. “Perseverance is our robotic astrobiologist, and it will be the first rover NASA has sent to Mars with the explicit goal of searching for signs of ancient life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
With some cheeky tweets (although technically from an Earth-based social media team instead of from the robot itself) incredible images and an inspirational name, I'm finding a lot of joy and hope from following Perseverance's journey this week.
"If Perseverance is anything, she's a boss," said Stephanie L. Smith, the JPL's digital and social media lead. "She's the biggest, most ambitious rover we've ever sent to the surface of another planet. She's got a rock vaporizing laser on her head, just like Curiosity did. But Curiosity, who while charming, isn't as capable as Perseverance. Curiosity can't walk and chew gum. Curiosity can't drive and think about driving at the same time. Perseverance can. Perseverance has a second brain and if Perseverance had gone to college, she would have been summa. But she's also super-lovable."
Who doesn't root for a lovable robot?
Read more about Perseverance here. And if you want to get (virtually) closer to the rover, check out our augmented reality experience here.
Today's viewing
Black History month is coming to a close next week, but there are still ways to honor and celebrate Black history and culture (in February and beyond).
Our film critic Brian Truitt compiled a list of 25 recent films centered on Black stories that are available to stream. Here are a few films from his list:
"The Forty-Year-Old Version." Writer/director Radha Blank also stars in her semi-autobiographical comedy about a New York playwright who, after struggling to break into the theater scene, decides to reinvent herself as a rapper. Where to watch: Netflix
"Judas and the Black Messiah." Daniel Kaluuya is the subject of Oscar talk for his stirring portrayal of Illinois Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in the 1960s-set thriller, which delves into the FBI's efforts to undermine and destroy him. Where to watch: HBO Max
"Small Axe." Steve McQueen's five-film anthology is an expansive view of the West Indian community in London over multiple decades, featuring John Boyega as a 1980s cop and Letitia Wright as a Black Panther in a '60s-era legal fight. Where to watch: Amazon Prime
See Brian's full list here.
Today's reads
A $340 million baseball deal? Our baseball columnist Bob Nightengale writes about Fernando Tatis Jr.'s deal with Padres.
Six miles in the snow didn't stop this 90-year-old woman from getting a COVID -19 vaccine.
These are the best new cars, trucks and SUVs of 2021, according to Consumer Reports.
My colleague Mary Cadden followed up her story about 100 Black adult fiction writers with a story spotlighting 50 Black Young Adult writers to read. These authors not only "show Black teens dealing with the same coming of age issues that any teen would deal with – falling in love, finding your place in the world, coming to terms with their sexuality," but also "navigating issues like systemic racism and microaggressions," says LaKeshia N. Darden, librarian and adjunct professor at Campbell University and Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury, Chair 2019-2021.
Today's pet
I have been one-upped when it comes to personalized pet pillows.
"I noticed your picture included a pillow with a photo of your dog," writes Rebecca Salveson. "We took it one step further. We honor our dog with a personalized pillow AND her own couch. Spoiled? Perhaps, but she deserves it."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Perseverance' for the weekend
