JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Thursday's launch of NASA’s Perseverance Rover will look for signs of life and take samples on the red planet, but the data it collects could eventually change industries. Particularly ones that look to function in space.
Lee Gait is preparing for a simulation that will apply his astronomy and physics background to solving how projects and industry work one day in space. For Gait, his project pertains to filmmaking.
“It’s going to be very, very cool to see how regular people like me, and a lot of people that are working in the space industry, are able to move our species to making a living on Mars,” Gait said.
He's trained with cosmonauts, worked at Jacksonville's Museum of Science and History (MOSH) and created short films: some even have a space motif. Gait is also a member of the NASA Night Sky Network of amateur astronomers.
Now he has his eyes turned to Perseverance, the rover set to launch from Cape Canaveral and make a nearly seven-month journey to Mars. There, the mission will include collecting data and looking for ancient life to help scientists determine if the planet is viable for humans.
“Tiny microbial life that was maybe underwater, underground and we’re going to dig deep and find out is that a possibility and could turn Mars into a future home?” Gait said about the work Perseverance is tasked with.
He adds it’s all uncertain — but that is something he thinks should be embraced.
“You know we don’t know what’s going to happen," Gait said, "We don’t know if this mission is going to go as smoothly as we planned But regardless, it’s going to be a learning experience.”
In the meantime, Gait will continue to prepare for his body and projects to test with one day hoping to be in space.