NASA's Perseverance rover gets the green light on the Red Planet

Some are calling it Mars Madness.

For the first time, three spacecraft from three different countries are exploring the Red Planet at the same time. Missions from China and the United Arab Emirates are orbiting Mars and NASA’s rover Perseverance just landed on the planet's surface.

Madison College astronomy instructor Dixie Burns talked to Channel 3 and Channel 15 about the importance of the Mars mission.