On 18th February 2021, NASA’s Perseverance Rover is set to touch down on Mars and begin exploration of the Red Planet. To commemorate this historic occasion, Discovery Education—the global leader in curriculum-aligned digital resources, engaging content, and professional learning for primary and secondary classrooms—is partnering with NASA to bring students worldwide a special no-cost livestream of this momentous event.
This special livestream of the Perseverance rover’s landing on Mars is scheduled to begin on Thursday, February 18 at 7:15 p.m. GMT. Featuring insights from NASA experts and a behind-the-scenes look at the activities of the Perseverance mission control team, the livestream will culminate with the rover’s real-time touchdown on Mars. To register to attend this event, visit Discovery Education’s Mars Landing Livestream homepage.
In addition to the livestream, Discovery Education and NASA are making available exclusive resources supporting the integration of NASA’s latest mission to Mars into teaching. A new ‘Missions to Mars’ channel within the upgraded version of Discovery Education Espresso includes engaging videos and fun factsheets to help primary school children learn about different space missions and explore the red planet as they countdown to touchdown. Using these resources, teachers can fuel student interest in space, build knowledge, and check for understanding about relevant topics.
“Space exploration has the unique ability to inspire students’ imaginations, especially in the fields of STEM,” said Mike Kincaid, NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement. “We’re excited to partner with Discovery Education to bring the extraordinary innovation of the Mars 2020 Landing to students nationwide.”
Following the Perseverance rover’s landing on Mars, the livestream will be archived on the upgraded version of Discovery Education Espresso. Discovery Education’s award-winning service connects primary school teachers to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, curriculum-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give teachers everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.
Discovery Education’s team continues adding, contextualising, and organising exciting new content and timely resources to the platform each month in response to current events and the ever-evolving needs of teachers. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to the National Curriculum and help educators to bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.
“Discovery Education is thrilled to partner with NASA to bring the landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars to students worldwide,” said Scott Kinney, Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Education. “Events like this take students to places they could never visit and help them see the ‘real world’ applications of what they are learning in the classroom while also driving deeper engagement and, ultimately, higher academic achievement.”
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in curriculum-aligned digital resources, engaging content, and professional learning for primary and secondary classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences,and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources areaccessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with local authorities, academy trusts, schools and like-minded organisations to empower teachers with customised solutions that support the success of all learners.
Contact
Angie Shatford, Press Officer
Email: ashatford@discoveryed.com
