Click here or on the image above to watch the full interview.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- Representative Mike Garcia (CA-25) appeared on FOXLA to discuss the historic landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover which he watched from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). 

Garcia started the interview off by highlighting the significance of the landing.

“Just a magical day, a great day to be an American. I am so proud of the NASA, JPL, Cal-Tech team -  Southern California heroes really. This project was really birthed here and succeeded here after 10 hard years of work and through the pandemic and COVID. It is just a testimony of their dedication and hard work and perseverance,” said Garcia. 

He went on to discuss the technical aspects of the mission, and what will be happening over the next few days as the rover navigates Mars.
 
“Even more exciting, they’re going to fly Ingenuity, which is a small drone helicopter with about a meter and a half wingspan, and actually fly this helicopter in an atmosphere which is similar to flying at about 70,000 feet in our own atmosphere,” said Garcia.

Garcia emphasized the importance of this mission and what it means for us as a nation.

“We’re in the midst of another golden era of our space program. And we do need to continue to double down, not only on the science side but also the national security side. This is a domain where we as a nation can thrive but also be vulnerable if we don’t do it right and we’ve got to make these investments in all forums,” said Garcia.

Garcia closed the discussion by stating that space exploration and this landing should be bipartisan and unify the nation.

“This is a unifying front, this is a unifying science project and definitely one that both parties should support,” said Garcia.

Watch the full interview here.

Rep. Garcia tours NASA’s JPL.