Latinos on Mars

Worldwide press headlines announced the successful landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on the Red Planet a few weeks ago. This landing marked a new milestone for investigating Mars’ capability for supporting life (as we know it), exploring signatures of the presence of earlier microbes, and testing oxygen production. In addition to the scientific relevance of setting a new rover on Mars, the landing set a benchmark for future NASA communications outreach. Perseverance’s landing was the first-ever event broadcast simultaneously in English and Spanish via official NASA social media. Without a doubt, watching a scientific event of this magnitude in our mother language has a profound significance for Latino and Hispanic peoples. It also leads to inquiries into Latin America’s role in scientific discoveries and breakthroughs, particularly in space exploration.