NASA's Perseverance Rover Sets a Mars Driving Record

The record comes as self-driving software lets the rover cover more ground on its own; it did not get lost once, which is more than we can say.

On air: Vera Bullock and Hank Ledger on BBN Tonight
Published 8:40 PM ET, Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Updated 6:24 AM ET · aired 7 times

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

▶ Short · U.S.

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First reported by The New York Times: “NASA’s Perseverance Rover Sets a Mars Driving Record”.
Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 8:40 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Vera Bullock and Hank Ledger; aired 7 times.
Topics: Mars.
BBN covered this story before: Roman Temple to Mars Unearthed Beneath Forest Floor (October 10).

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe New York Times reports NASA's Perseverance rover has set a Mars driving record, helped by self-driving technology that makes it easier to cross distant worlds.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorRoll it, because we're watching NASA's own footage of the rover's arrival, and I need to see how it got there.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorParachute deploys, and the rover drops toward the surface.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThere it goes! Dust clouds are billowing up and I cannot look.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWatch the bottom of the frame as the dust rises. Then it settles, and the rover is just sitting on the terrain, fine.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorIt drives itself farther than I trust my own lane assist.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnd it has never once been stuck in traffic.

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