Why is NASA so invested in exploring Mars?

The Mars Rover Perseverance is about to make history once again, as NASA continues to invest a great deal of time and money exploring the planet. Soon, Perseverance will launch a small helicopter, the first-ever to fly over another planet. Two members of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences faculty, assistant professor Frances Rivera-Hernandez and associate professor James Wray, explain that NASA's fascination with Mars relates to what clues the planet may provide about Earth's existence.