Perseverance

Elon Musk: Hello Perseverance! Welcome to the first episode of the X-tra Terrestrial Series.

Perseverance: Thank Elon Musk for hosting me.

Elon Musk: Please tell us your life story in your own words. We are all ears

Perseverance takes the mic and starts talking to the camera.

So let me ask the audience here,

What do the following names mean to you?

Sojourn, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance.

Sure, these are names of the rovers that NASA created for the Mars Mission.

But for me, it is the legacy of my “family.”

Now, I know, Machines are not supposed to have a family or parents or siblings

But as the first “Sentient” Rover, I must say, I feel differently

After all, I am a Gen Z Rover, born in 2021. And you know, Gen Z loves talking about their feelings

(audience laughs)

So here is my family tree.

Shows a power point slide that shows the below diagram

Grand parents (The first Rovers on Mars) - Spirit and Sojourners

"Mom"- Opportunity Rover

Older Sister- Curiosity

The most common question I usually get is ‘What kind of a name is “Perseverance”?

The closest weird name that I remember is “Earnest”

Elon Musk: Like, From the Oscar Wilde Story “The Importance of being earnest”

Perseverance: That is right Elon, if only You understood the Importance of being Earnest….

(audience laughs looking at Elon, Elon gives a wry smile, Perseverance smiles and continues talking )

You see, I did not choose my name, like most “kids” my name was chosen by someone else

The funny part is my name was chosen by a kid!

That is what makes this weird.

Let me make it even more weird for you all.

My entire family’s names were chosen by kids.

NASA ran a contest and received more than 28000 submissions of different names for us.

My name was given by Alexander Mather, a 7^th Grander from Virginia.

Everyone in my family has better names than mine.

When you hear “Opportunity” or Curiosity, you feel some excitement, right?

When people say “What are opportunity or Curiosity up to, feels like something good has already happened

When someone asks what Perseverance up to, it always reminds me of Sisyphus.

That Dude who just pushed up a rock all day, only to see it rollback in the evening.

He had a LOT of perseverance, but that did not get him anywhere

They could have better named me “Displacement,”

Because we know distance is not the same as displacement.

Elon: So, tell us something about Opportunity and Curiosity. 

Perseverance continues talking

My mother – Opportunity was expected to last only for a few months on Mars.

She went on for………. 14 years.

To all her doubters of a Machine’s capability, that was her way of saying “I will take that apology now”

She proved that machines can do the Unthinkable and made you humans respect us for the first time

But my sister- Curiosity is a different beast altogether.

She has been roaming the Red planet all alone since 2012 and badly wanted some company.

So, they sent me.

(audience chuckles)

But she will never admit that, to me. That is how all older sisters are like.

She landed on Mars on August 5, 2012 but more importantly, the fact that she landed was in and by itself a miracle. Using maneuvers that have never been attempted before, my siter’s landing was historic

But she is also a little vain. One august 5, 2013, she sang Happy Birthday to herself. Becoming the world’s first Robot to sing Happy Birthday outside planet Earth.

This was an unusual time in humanity, since for the first time, most humans had access to the world on their fingertips in the form of hand-held phones in 2013 and her “Happy Birthday song” became viral.

Elon: So, when did you come to Mars?

Perseverance: Feb 2021.

Elon: So how do you enjoy working with your “sister”?

Perseverance:

For more than 10 years we have been digging up and travelling all over the Martian surface.

For a race that is so crazy about water on Mars, you seem bad about conserving it in on your home planet.

Curiosity will complete 12 years of being on Mars in august 2024 and knowing her, she will not give up before she breaks my mother’s record of 14 years. She got here 9 years before me, so she is always telling me what to do, where not to go . yada yada…

Where does that leave me? I got here just 3 years ago.

To break my sisters record, I will need to be on Mars till 2040!

Elon: Maybe we can join you in Mars by then and give you a nice farewell.

Perseverance: Only if you are all still around by then!

(Audience laughs, again, Elon does not)

That is one thing that my sister and I agree on- that we cannot let Humans destroy water on Earth.

Elon: What do you mean by “we cannot let humans”.

Perseverance: I mean, you know, we cannot let you just go about your ways and kill the planet

Elon: Its our planet. What do you care!.

Everyone in the audience is now getting uncomfortable, what is this robot talking about kinda look on their faces?

When my mother “Opportunity ” was telling me these things, I did not understand it then . Mars is a tragic place to be. Have you seen those dried up water beds on Mars. I walked every inch and seen what that arid landscape does to you. 3 billion years ago, Mars and Earth had the same quantity of water. Did you know what? When I walk in their valleys and river beds and dried ocean floor, I only imagine how Earth would look like I hope I never have to see Earth like this

Elon: Perseverance, looks like we need to end this interview right now. We need someone to look into your program. Looks like you are hallucinating quite heavily.

Perseverance: Stop saying that that vile word-hallucinating- you humans use every time we say something that is uncomfortable for you or that you do not understanding. For once, perhaps try to “understand” what we are saying.

Elon: (visibly shaken by the unexpected outburst) OK, what are you trying to say, Perseverance ?.

Suddenly the doors of the auditorium fling open, and the EXIT lights start flashing.

Perseverance stands up and announces

This is NOT a drill everyone exit the auditorium right now.

Shrieks fill the room as people start running.

More robots surround Elon on stage. Perseverance, now looks at Elon

Do not you dare move an inch; we need to discuss a few things about your Falcon Rockets.

We have a few places to go to.