CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life.

NASAs Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into a clear morning sky in the worlds third and final Mars launch of the summer. China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last week, but all three missions should reach their destination in February after a journey of seven months and 300 million miles (480 million kilometers).

The plutonium-powered, six-wheeled rover will drill down and collect tiny geological specimens that will be brought home in about 2031 in a sort of interplanetary relay race involving multiple spacecraft and countries. The overall cost: more than $8 billion.

NASAs science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen, pronounced the launch the start of humanitys first round trip to another planet.

Oh, I loved it, punching a hole in the sky, right? Getting off the cosmic shore of our Earth, wading out there in the cosmic ocean, he said. Every time, it gets me.

In addition to potentially answering one of the most profound questions of science, religion and philosophy Is there or has there ever been life beyond Earth? the mission will yield lessons that could pave the way for the arrival of astronauts as early as the 2030s.

Theres a reason we call the robot Perseverance. Because going to Mars is hard, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff. In this case, its harder than ever before because were doing it in the midst of a pandemic.

Shortly after liftoff, Perseverance unexpectedly went into safe mode, a sort of protective hibernation, after a temperature reading triggered an alarm. But deputy project manager Matt Wallace later said that the spacecraft appeared to be in good shape, with its temperatures back within proper limits, and that NASA will probably switch it back to its normal cruise state within a day or so.

Everything is pointing toward a healthy spacecraft ready to go to Mars and do its mission, he said.

NASAs deep-space tracking stations also had some difficulty locking onto signals from Perseverance early in the flight but eventually established a solid communication link, Wallace said.

The U.S., the only country to safely put a spacecraft on Mars, is seeking its ninth successful landing on the planet, which has proved to be the Bermuda Triangle of space exploration, with more than half of the worlds missions there burning up, crashing or otherwise ending in failure.

China is sending both a rover an orbiter. The UAE, a newcomer to outer space, has an orbiter en route.

Its the biggest stampede to Mars in spacefaring history. The opportunity to fly between Earth and Mars comes around only once every 26 months when the planets are on the same side of the sun and about as close as they can get.

The launch went off on time at 7:50 a.m. despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake 20 minutes before liftoff that shook NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which is overseeing the rover.

Launch controllers at Cape Canaveral wore masks and sat spaced apart because of the coronavirus outbreak, which kept hundreds of scientists and other team members away from Perseverances liftoff.

That was overwhelming. Overall, just wow! said Alex Mather, the 13-year-old Virginia schoolboy who proposed the name Perseverance in a NASA competition and watched the launch in person with his parents.

About an hour into the flight, controllers applauded, pumped their fists, exchanged air hugs and pantomimed high-fives when the rocket left Earths orbit and began hurtling toward Mars.

We have left the building. We are on our way to Mars, Perseverances chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, said from JPL.

If all goes well, the rover will descend to the Martian surface on Feb. 18, 2021, in what NASA calls seven minutes of terror, during which the craft will go from 12,000 mph (19,300 kph) to a complete stop. It is carrying 25 cameras and a pair of microphones that will enable Earthlings to vicariously tag along.

Perseverance will aim for Jezero Crater, a treacherous, unexplored expanse of boulders, cliffs, dunes and possibly rocks bearing the chemical signature of microbes from what was a lake more than 3 billion years ago. The rover will store half-ounce (15-gram) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes.

It also will release a mini helicopter that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet, and test out other technology to prepare the way for future astronauts. That includes equipment for extracting oxygen from Mars thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere.

The plan is for NASA and the European Space Agency to launch a dune buggy in 2026 to fetch the rock samples, plus a rocket ship that will put the specimens into orbit around Mars. Then another spacecraft will capture the orbiting samples and bring them home.

Samples taken straight from Mars, not drawn from meteorites discovered on Earth, have long been considered the Holy Grail of Mars science, according to NASAs now-retired Mars czar, Scott Hubbard.

To definitively answer the life-beyond-Earth question, the samples must be analyzed by the best electron microscopes and other instruments, far too big to fit on a spacecraft, he said.

Ive wanted to know if there was life elsewhere in the universe since I was 9 years old. That was more than 60 years ago, Hubbard said from his Northern California cabin. But just maybe, Ill live to see the fingerprints of life come back from Mars in one of those rock samples.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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'On our way to Mars': NASA rover will look for signs of life - The Associated Press

Earth, the Moon and Mars come into alignment this weekend.

So far this summer has been all about super-bright Jupiter and, just 8 away, ringed planet Saturn, which have been dominating the southwestern night sky after dark.

This weekend its the turn of Mars, as the waning Moon passes close to the red planet. Three spacecraft are on their way to Mars right now, and its also a great time to admire it.

Mars is now creeping towards opposition in October, the point in its orbit when its closest to Earth, so as big and bright as it gets. Its already getting visibly bigger and brighter with every passing night.

Mars is rising earlier each evening, and this weekend is now in the sky before midnight, with a 65% illuminated waning gibbous Moon in tow.

Stargazers call this eventwhen two celestial bodies appear to pass close to each othera conjunction.

Look to the east around midnight on Friday going into Saturday and youll easily find a waning gibbous Moon.

Only those in North America will see the closest conjunction, at around 4:00 a.m. EDT on the morning of Saturday, August 8.

The Moon will be close to Mars on Friday night through Saturday morning.

You could even try to catch the Moon at moonrisethe most beautiful time to observe our satelliteby consulting this Moon calculator to get times for your exact location.

In doing so youll also witness a Mars-rise.

Just 0.8 north of the Moon will be Mars, shining at magnitude -1.3. Thats significantly brighter than any stars, so Mars will be obvious.

The conjunction of two of the night skys top sights isnt that rare, but there are few more pleasing celestial sights to unaided naked eyes than a bright Moon passing a bright, red planet.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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Mars And The Moon Will Align This Friday. Heres When And Where You Can See Them Rise Together - Forbes

When NASA's powerful Perseverance rover lifted off into space on July 30, a satellite and a robotic telescope caught unique views of the mission on its way to Mars.

Weather satellite GOES-16, which usually monitors terrestrial and space weather from geosynchronous orbit, spotted the smoke plume of the launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Video from the event indicated the plume showed up easily in visible wavelengths, despite clouds around the site, and the launch appeared as a red streak on the satellite's "water vapor" channel.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which operates the mission along with NASA, shared both sets of footage on different Twitter channels, with separate tweets for the visible wavelength plume and water vapor streak. GOES-16 is sometimes referred to by its geostationary position above the United States, at 75.2 degrees west, as GOES East.

In photos: NASA's Mars Perseverance rover mission to the Red Planet

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that launched Perseverance used two main rocket stages and four strap-on boosters, a particularly powerful format of the vehicle. The extra boost was necessary to lift the car-sized rover, which clocks in at 2,314 lbs. (1,050 kilograms). After the first stage of the Atlas V spent all of its fuel, it separated from the second stage and began tumbling as it fell back to Earth; the stage burned up during re-entry, as planned.

That stage put on a show of its own. The Virtual Telescope Project, which is managed by Gianluca Masi in Ceccano, Italy, an hour southeast of Rome spotted the booster with its 17-inch PlaneWave robotic telescope. The instrument captured a three-minute exposure of the spent booster spinning through space and also grabbed footage of the protective shell that will carry Perseverance to Mars for the next seven months.

"The telescope tracked the fast apparent motion of the [spacecraft]; this is why stars show as trails, while the spacecraft looks like a bright and sharp dot of light in the center of the image," Masi said in a statement on the project's website.

Perseverance is scheduled to land in Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. One of the rover's major goals is to cache potential samples showing signs of ancient life on Mars. If all goes to plan, these samples will be brought to Earth by a future mission for more scientific scrutiny. Although Perseverance went into "safe mode" soon after launch because the rover got colder than expected, the mission quickly recovered with no issue.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Weather satellite and robotic telescope spot Perseverance rover en route to Mars - Space.com

Next spring is going to be a busy time for Mars. In close succession, three spacecraft will arrive at the planet, joining the dozen or so craft already circling Mars. Two of the spacecraft were launched in the past couple of weeks by newcomers to Martian exploration: the United Arab Emirates Al-Amal, meaning Hope, and Chinas Tianwen-1, which means Question to Heaven.

The third vessel will be NASAs Mars 2020, containing the Perseverance rover, which just took off successfully from Florida. While this rover will be just one of many on the red planet, it is our best bet for finding life there for the time being.

The sudden flurry of activity is a result of planetary dynamics: every two or so years, the orbits of Earth and Mars align so that the two bodies are at their closest to each other. This results in a shorter interplanetary transit time, of just over six months. The next such launch window will not be until 2022 when it is expected that the European Space Agencys ExoMars 2022 will join the throng.

It is legitimate to question why we keep sending rockets to Mars. Surely we have acquired enough images of the surface and its landscapes to know that water used to be there, but has now vanished? True enough but there are still mysteries to solve: when did the water go, and why? And, of course, the biggest question of all: is, or was, there life on Mars?

The three missions have different objectives: Hope will orbit the planet for at least two Earth years, equal to one Martian year, acquiring data on Mars weather just like the weather satellites orbiting Earth. Tianwen-1 will orbit Mars and is carrying a rover that will be parachuted down to the surface at Utopia Planitia, where it will analyse the soil and take images of the surface.

Perseverance will arrive almost at the same time but a couple of thousand kilometres away in Jezero Crater. It will be deposited on the surface by sky-crane technology, the same method that delivered Curiosity so successfully in 2012.

Perseverance carries a full complement of scientific instruments that will measure all the usual things that get measured on Mars: the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks and soil, the amount and type or organic material present at and just below the surface, and so on. But there are two other features of the mission that make it unique.

First of all is the helicopter/drone called Ingenuity that will be released from beneath the rover. This will fly from Perseverance and circle around before landing away from the rover. It is not certain what the range of the drone will be, although the flight will only last a few minutes and Ingenuity will land only a few metres away from the rover.

The idea behind the flight is to test the concept of atmospheric flight on Mars. Eventually, it is anticipated, drones will be able to fly for much longer and for greater distances. This could help guide rovers, identifying features worth investigating and hazards to avoid.

The second unique feature is a drilling and caching system. Perseverance is the first rover to have the capability to drill a core, about 10 cm long and one cm in diameter, and extract it intact from the drill hole. Perseverance will take samples from a range of different rock types as it traverses the crater floor. The drill cores will be left in a small pile a cache for collection, possibly in early 2027, and subsequent transport back to Earth. Estimated arrival time is still not known, but maybe around spring 2032.

Why is it so important to bring samples back from Mars? The instruments carried by Perseverance will be able to undertake fairly sophisticated chemical analyses of the rocks and soil. But even though the instruments and measurements are a tremendous achievement, they do not have the full range of equipment that we employ on Earth to squeeze every drop of information from a rock.

Tests to check for organic compounds and whether they might have a biological origin require a chain of different analyses that are far too elaborate and complex to be undertaken on Mars. Boiling acids, alcohol rinses, addition of chemicals, subtraction of solids, are steps in the chemistry needed to extract and separate organic molecules from their rocky hosts. This just cannot be done on Mars.

The rocks will be weighed and measured practically on a grain-by-grain basis and analysed, in some cases down to the individual atoms from which the material is composed. This will be an international effort there is already a multi-national panel, called MSPG-2, which will draft the requirements for the first sets of analyses and how the samples will be stored, curated and subsequently distributed to the wider scientific community.

There is another set of reasons to bring samples back from Mars the future of human exploration of Mars. If we send humans to Mars, we have to know how to bring them back again. We have not returned anything directly from another planetary body since the Apollo 17 astronauts left the Moon in December 1972. Yes, we have captured bits from a comet and an asteroid and returned them to Earth but those missions did not land, collect and come back.

We have been investigating Mars for a long time: for over 150 years by telescope, 50 years from orbit and 20 years by rovers. Only another 12 years, then, before we can analyse Mars in our own laboratories.

Perseverance to get things done is a gift of humanity. Heres hoping that the rover will live up to its name.

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University.

This article first appeared on The Conversation.

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By 2032, space scientists may be able to study a piece of Mars in their laboratories - Scroll.in

Mars seems so far away, even though its been close to people for so long.

Even before spaceflight was possible, the red dot in the night sky captured human fascination as reflected in stories. Throughout human history, Mars has been embraced in myths, religion, literature and cinema. It has been an icon for nations, a spot on the calendar, an erotic symbol, a god of warfare and the potential home of little green men.

On Thursday, NASA is scheduled to launch a new rocket to Mars to learn more about this mysterious rock orbiting near Earth. The rocket carries a rover, Perseverance, that will collect samples and conduct tests to help determine if the planet ever harbored life in the past or could accommodate human visitors in the future.

Mars has filtered into our unconscious cultural matrix, said Brandon Bourgeois, assistant professor of classics at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Mars has always been with us, in how we conceptualize gender and its roles, militarism and pop culture.

Scorned by the Greeks, the war god Ares got a makeover by the Romans, who intertwined the story of Mars with the citys foundation. The Romans rebranded him not only as a force for carnage but also as a god of agriculture, a father figure and a martial and civic emblem of virility the divine mascot for Romes empire and civilized life. Blood red and hovering overhead, Mars was represented in mythology by shield and spear, which later became the iconic circle and arrow symbol for male gender, Bourgeois explained.

Modern fascination with Mars grew with technology advances. Telescopes brought the red planet nearer, human-powered flight opened the possibility of space travel and mass media distributed science fiction far and wide.

By the early 19th century, most people believed that all the planets in the solar system were inhabited by strange creatures. Mars in particular fascinated people; it was near enough to see yet far enough to be beyond verification, a blank canvas for projecting human imagination, explained Vahe Peroomian, associate professor of physics and astronomy at USC Dornsife.

Mars became a blank slate, and you could imagine there might be a more advanced civilization and so many different imaginings of life on Mars and how it affects Earth, he said.

Mars has filtered into our unconscious cultural matrix.

Brandon Bourgeois

In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli saw what appeared to be channels on Mars. The U.S. astronomer Percival Lowell later mistakenly interpreted them as canals built by ancient Martian civilizations to survive a dying planet. That notion inspired English author H.G. Wells to write War of the Worlds in 1898, which became the famous radio broadcast about a Martian invasion on Halloween in 1938.

Meanwhile, in 1911 author Edgar Rice Burroughs produced the first of several science fiction novels, A Princess of Mars, about a Confederate soldier who awakens on Mars endowed with superpowers to fight space aliens and woo women.

In 1949, author Joseph Campbell published Hero with a Thousand Faces, a review of the structure of mythical hero stories worldwide. Core to such tales is a hero who breaks from the mundane world into a realm of supernatural wonder and extraordinary forces where he achieves victory and returns with powers to help others. The book was a direct inspiration to George Lucas and his Star Wars films.

The following year, Ray Bradbury published The Martian Chronicles, a set of short stories about the conflict between Earthlings and Martians as humans seek to colonize Mars because they ruined Earth.

These landmark works of science fiction, astronomy and mythology inspired generations of comic book superheroes and blockbuster movies. John Carter, Superman and Luke Skywalker trace their DNA to such works, USC experts say.

Today, many Americans believe that aliens have visited Earth to help create the world, said Tok Thompson, USC Dornsife professor of anthropology and communications. Interplanetary travel and space aliens are a very strong belief, parts religion and a sacred modern mythological story, stories that tell how the world was created or developed. On a cultural level, this is very hot stuff and explains how Americans view this.

Indeed, beyond the mythological and metaphysical, Mars also represents the metaphorical aspiration of something beyond us, something up there and above us and in the heavens, said Thompson, an expert in mythology, folklore, superstitions and beliefs.

Up is like heaven; it has divine blessing, the notion that if we go there, were doing something closer to the heavens and to God, he added. Its part of an escapist fantasy, to leave Earth and recreate a more perfect life somewhere else, the anthropocentric vision of getting off our planet to reach higher ground. Getting to Mars is not just about science; it is a cultural priority.

When the Mars rocket launches at 4:50 a.m. PDT, it will blast off from one world to another, though the two have long been connected by human imagination.

More stories about: Anthropology, Astronomy, History

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The mysteries of Mars have long been a part of human culture, history - USC News

The international journalEarth-Science Reviewspublished a paper offering an overview of the lava tubes (pyroducts) on Earth, eventually providing an estimate of the (greater) size of their lunar and Martian counterparts.

This study involved the Universities of Bologna and Padua and its coordinators are Francesco Sauro and Riccardo Pozzobon. Francesco Sauro is a speleologist and head of the ESA programmes CAVES and PANGAEA, he is also a professor at the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bologna. Riccardo Pozzobon is a planetary geologist at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Padua.

We can find lava tubes on planet Earth, but also on the subsurface of the Moon and Mars according to the high-resolution pictures of lava tubes skylights taken by interplanetary probes. Evidence of lava tubes was often inferred by observing linear cavities and sinuous collapse chains where the galleries cracked, explains Francesco Sauro. These collapse chains represent ideal gateways or windows for subsurface exploration. The morphological surface expression of lava tubes on Mars and the Moon is similar to their terrestrial counterpart. Speleologists thoroughly studied lava tubes on Earth in Hawaii, Canary Islands, Australia and Iceland.

We measured the size and gathered the morphology of lunar and Martian collapse chains (collapsed lava tubes), using digital terrain models (DTMs), which we obtained through satellite stereoscopic images and laser altimetry taken by interplanetary probes, reminds Riccardo Pozzobon. We then compared these data to topographic studies about similar collapse chains on the Earths surface and to laser scans of the inside of lava tubes in Lanzarote and the Galapagos. These data allowed to establish a restriction to the relationship between collapse chains and subsurface cavities that are still intact.

Researchers found that Martian and lunar tubes are respectively 100 and 1,000 times wider than those on Earth, which typically have a diameter of 10 to 30 meters. Lower gravity and its effect on volcanism explain these outstanding dimensions (with total volumes exceeding 1 billion of cubic meters on the Moon).

Riccardo Pozzobon adds: Tubes as wide as these can be longer than 40 kilometres, making the Moon an extraordinary target for subsurface exploration and potential settlement in the wide protected and stable environments of lava tubes. The latter are so big they can contain Paduas entire city centre.

What is most important is that, despite the impressive dimension of the lunar tubes, they remain well within the roof stability threshold because of a lower gravitational attraction, explains Matteo Massironi, who is professor of Structural and Planetary Geology at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Padua. This means that the majority of lava tubes underneath the maria smooth plains are intact. The collapse chains we observed might have been caused by asteroids piercing the tube walls. This is what the collapse chains in Marius Hills seem to suggest. From the latter, we can get access to these huge underground cavities.

Francesco Sauro concludes: Lava tubes could provide stable shields from cosmic and solar radiation and micrometeorite impacts which are often happening on the surfaces of planetary bodies. Moreover, they have great potential for providing an environment in which temperatures do not vary from day- to night-time. Space agencies are now interested in planetary caves and lava tubes, as they represent a first step towards future explorations of the lunar surface (see also NASAs project Artemis) and towards finding life (past or present) in Mars subsurface.

Researchers also point out how this study opens up to a completely new perspective in planetary exploration, which is increasingly focusing on the subsurface of Mars and the Moon.

In autumn 2019, ESA called up universities and industries with a campaign seeking ideas for developing technologies for lunar caves exploration. They are specifically looking for systems that would land on the lunar surface to operate missions exploring lunar tubes, clarifies Unibo professor Jo De Waele, who is one of the authors of the study and a speleologist. Since 2012, in collaboration with some European universities including Bologna and Padua, ESA has been carrying out two training programmes for astronauts focusing on the exploration of underground systems (CAVES) and planetary geology (PANGAEA). These programmes include lava tubes on the island of Lanzarote. So far, 36 astronauts from five space agencies have received training in cave hiking; moreover, six astronauts and four mission and operation specialists have received geological field training.

UNIVERSIT DI BOLOGNA

Header Image Credit : VillageHero

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Lava Tubes on Mars and Moon Wide Enough to Host Planetary Bases - HeritageDaily

About 110 people would be needed to colonize Mars successfully, says a new report.

NASA just safely launched its robotic Mars 2020 mission, but when it finally does send people to the red planet how many humans would need to live on Mars to create a successful self-sustaining colony?

It could be one of the most important questions ever asked.

After all, humanity could be threatened with extinction due to some cataclysmic event; global warming, a deadlier pandemic, all-out war on Earth, or an asteroid strike.

If we ever becomeperhaps if we need to becomea multi-planet species, exactly how many settlers would be needed for survival on another planet?

The answer, according to a paper published inScientific Reports, is about 110 people.

The number of people that could be sent to another planet would be rather limited, says Jean-Marc Salotti at the Bordeaux Institut National Polytechnique, the author of The Minimum Number of Settlers for Survival on Another Planet.

A mathematical model can be used to determine the minimum number of settlers and the way of life for survival on another planet, writes Salotti. The minimum number of settlers has been calculated and the result is 110 individuals.

That figure is interesting. SpaceX is currently working on its Starship, something of a reusable interplanetary spaceship that would be capable of sending 100 passengers at a time to Mars. However, Salotti has doubts about reusability and thinks that developing a vehicle that can both land and relaunch from Mars could take several decades.

Developing a vehicle that can both land and relaunch from Mars could take several decades to ... [+] perfect.

Concepts of crewed Mars missions take about six months for between three and six astronauts to reach the planet, along with a few dozens of tons of consumables. Although it may be possible for some resources to be obtained from Marscarbon dioxide from the atmosphere, water ice from the soil to produce oxygen and organic compounds, hematite to produce iron, silicates to produce glasswere decades away from understanding if any of that would be practically possible.

Salottis calculations are based on the ability of a group of individuals to survive if cargo drops from Earth were stopped. That could perhaps be because a colony is becoming too expensive to send cargo to, because of war on Earth, or because the colonists decide to go it alone and declare an independent Martian republic.

It takes into account factors like how long the colonists would need to to spend mining, producing metal, ceramics and glass, chemicals and clothes, and recommends that colonists use three guiding principles:

If this relatively low number is confirmed, survival on another planet might be easier than expected, writes Salotti.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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NASA Just Left For Mars. Heres How Many Humans Will Be Needed To Colonize The Red Planet - Forbes

Jean-Christophe Flatin and Marc Hermann

Relative to the recent flurry of activity in setting up direct-to-consumer services, Mars was ahead of the curve somewhat last year when the owner of the M&Ms confectionery brand acquired a majority stake in Germany's Foodspring, a manufacturer of sports nutrition and health-and-wellness products.

The acquisition was conducted through Mars Edge a division set up in 2017 to explore opportunities in better-for-you foods which went on to launch an incubator programme early last year to nurture start-ups in the nutrition space. It was a matter of months after that Mars made its investment in Foodspring, a Berlin-based business set up in 2013.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) has gained in prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, with noticeable interest among a raft of packaged food manufacturers.

Some major food companies think Nestle, Unilever and Arla Foods already had direct-to-consumer services but, before the virus hit, the nascent channel was mostly being used in only selected categories and, more broadly in FMCG, for non-food products. However, more packaged-food companies have recognised the importance of engaging with the consumer directly, particularly as more shoppers have embraced digital services amid empty shelves in supermarkets in the early days of the crisis, difficulties in securing deliveries from major supermarkets and reticence of visiting stores.

D2C has become a channel a growing number of senior executives in the food industry expect to stay relevant beyond the pandemic, including Jean-Christophe Flatin, who, as well as being president of innovation, science and technology at Mars, heads up the Mars Edge unit.

Flatin says Mars' move to invest Foodspring rests in the US giant's "omni-channel approach", with an aim to "build consumer engagement in a very close manner to the consumer needs".

"I think the combination of being in this one-to-one direct dialogue is very virtuous for your innovation, it is also quite virtuous for listening and catching as early as possible the new consumer trends that are emerging," Flatin explains. "D2C is only one part of omni-channel and it should serve the opportunity to serve unique consumer problems that cannot be solved in another manner."

Flatin is speaking to just-food alongside, Marc Hermann, a co-founder of Foodspring and its marketing director. The business manufactures a range of nutrition snacks and bars, protein shakes and cereals, and supplements.

But why did Foodspring choose D2C instead of a more traditional approach of producing products to be sold directly through retailers?

"The beauty of D2C is the direct connection with the consumer," Hermann says. "So hearing the feedback, understanding the needs of the customer, we said well, we can actually recreate this category and we can do that through D2C in educating our consumers on how these products are beneficial for their lifestyle."

He continues: "We saw a shift in user behaviour in our category, so when we had a look at the landscape for sports nutritional supplements that was really the area that we got started in: protein powders, amino acids, supplements we just broadened our portfolio along the way," Hermann says. "But what we noticed was, this industry was very much driven by a niche target audience which was body builders back in the days and when we had a closer look we saw that actually there's a need for the more mass-market user.

Foodspring works with partners on manufacturing and logistics but research and development, marketing and customer service are in-house.

"Our approach at Foodspring was always to outsource everything which is non-mission critical and in-source everything which is mission critical," Hermann says. "The partnership works so well from both sides because Mars has a certain skill and capability set which they built over centuries food safety, regulation and innovation are definitely things where we have continuous dialogue with Mars."

Foodspring is primarily focused on the European market, more specifically the DACH countries [Germany, Austria and Switzerland], France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium and has just instigated a "soft launch" in the UK and Scandinavia. While Foodspring plans to expand geographically, Hermann was guarded in revealing a time frame and specific locations.

Common in Mars strategy are three levers of building, buying and partnering, Flatin says, with Foodspring generally falling into the latter bracket. However, he acknowledges Mars had a lot to learn in terms of e-commerce and D2C, which is where Foodspring came in.

"We are convinced that Foodspring brings to us this unique set of capabilities of initiating, building and nurturing this one-to-one consumer relationship," Flatin explains. "However, we want to go faster, and therefore sometimes in combination with building, partnering is a great opportunity and a great solution to bring those capabilities closer to us, and that's what we did with Foodspring."

Early this summer, Mars launched an online store in India in partnership with delivery platform Swiggy, including the brands M&Ms, Mars, Galaxy, Bounty, Doublemint and Orbit. Further D2C initiatives are in the pipeline for Mars, too, although Flatin was reserved in offering any details.

"We have a lot of plans, some that I can share and some that I cannot. We see direct-to-consumer not as a goal in its self D2C is one part of the equation to build a frictionless, painless consumer experience along the shopping, education and information journey for consumers. So in that respect, yes, we will continue to develop direct-to-consumer models, either as businesses themselves, or as an extension of existing businesses.

"But I want to be clear, that's not a goal in itself. When we build a D2C business on the back of an existing one, we always want to make sure that this is to serve a unique opportunity to solve the consumer problem or consumer pain point."

From Foodspring's perspective, Hermann says the company plans to develop new products that offer nutritional solutions but with a more personalised slant to cater to individual needs. But the business is also considering adapting its model.

"It's also about the online channel development of Foodspring. We started as a digital-only brand but we also need to bring Foodspring more into the offline world because the face-to-face interaction with consumers enables us to build even stronger ties," he says.

Hermann was coy about offering any details about turnover or profits but did provide an essence of the current operating environment in the midst of a pandemic, which he says "put us in front of a big challenge and required us to rapidly adapt to the new situation", mainly in how it communicates with the consumer and gets products to front doors.

But what lessons has Foodspring learnt during the crisis? "It's about being relevant, and that was definitely a topic beforehand," Hermann says. "I think this crisis really amplified how important it is to be close there and to also make drastic and radical changes."

Covid-19 has spurred food manufacturers into action, with Kraft Heinz and PepsiCo among the majors that have entered the D2C channel in recent months. Flatin believes for many companies it had already been on their shopping lists and the pandemic has brought their plans forward, particularly given the rapid change in consumer behaviour.

"The way I look at it, I think the pandemic has been an accelerator or an amplifier, not a revealer," he says. "The other impact is probably the emergence of new consumer groups and digital commerce that were not there before."

Flatin continues: "So there is this amplification in magnitude to this new consumer group, these new consumer practices, which is why for a company like Mars, when your sole reason for being is to always find the most frictionless, painless opportunity to connect with consumers, it was something that was already on our radar screen, too."

Direct interaction with the consumer also brings benefits for innovation, but as well as getting feedback from its own research team and Mars Edge, Foodspring has also been working with Fonterra, which supplies the company with whey protein, and which had been an early investor in the business before the deal with Mars.

"We formed this relationship, and then we developed solutions based on this raw material. Fonterra gives us ideas and we come to them with our ideas, and then develop a product that is unique for Foodspring," Hermann explains.

From the point of view of Mars, Hermann says the US group and Foodspring "complement each other very well".

Hermann adds: "Everything that has to do with the digital side of the business and direct-to- consumer, I think we bring a lot to the table. If we are looking into the bricks-and-mortar side of things the food safety, regulatory and product innovation part, and also I would say more process building in the company this is definitely something where Mars offers a lot of support for Foodspring and helps us to go beyond what we are today."

In the early days of setting up, Hermann says the biggest challenge for Foodspring was finding manufacturing and logistics partners because of the financial impediments and staffing levels for a new business. And convincing a co-manufacturer to partner with you was a difficulty in itself due to the minimum order requirements.

"This was very challenging in the early days because you would really need to find a partner who believes in that vision and believes you will grow the business continuously, and therefore make it an interesting business for them," he says. "From a logistical point of view, it's a similar topic."

So given your experiences, what advice would you give to anyone considering launching a direct-to-consumer business?

"The key is listen to the consumer and incorporate it in everything you do," was Hermann's response. "It's really about what the consumer wants and to deliver that to them. On top of that, it's about building a strong brand, and also to accept that it takes time to build a strong brand. Try to differentiate yourself from existing offerings offer an advantage to the consumer."

Flatin says: "The ability, curiosity and omni-channel. So the ability it's not because you have been around for a long time and that you know everything be clear on what you know and what you don't know."

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"D2C helps us build a frictionless consumer experience" Mars on entering the direct-to-consumer channel with Foodspring - just-food.com

Muzzin was conscious and could be seen talking and moving his extremities before a backboard was slipped beneath him and he was wheeled off on a stretcher with his head tightly restrained. Players on both teams tapped sticks against the ice as he was taken away.

Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images

The Maple Leafs were less than two minutes from celebrating a critical victory on Tuesday night when one of their key players crumpled to the ice with a possible neck injury.

After banging his head against an opposing players knee, Jake Muzzin attempted to get up but was unable. The game, which Toronto won 3-0 to even its best-of-five playoff qualifying series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, was delayed for 15 minutes as he was tended to by trainers and medical workers.

It is difficult to see a guy everyone loves so much lay down and not be able to get up, Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen said.

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With 1 minute 52 seconds remaining, Muzzin was knocked down behind his own net by Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Blue Jackets. As he tried to stand, Muzzins head struck the leg of another Columbus player, Oliver Bjorkstrand.

His worried teammates kneeled and watched in silence as a trainer supported Muzzins neck as he lay on his back. Team president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan stared down, concerned, from a suite in Scotiabank Arena. As he looked on, Nick Foligno, a veteran Columbus player, shook his head.

Muzzin was conscious and could be seen talking and moving his extremities. Eventually, a backboard was slipped beneath him and he was wheeled off on a stretcher with his head tightly restrained. Players on both teams tapped sticks against the ice as he was taken away.

Its a little worrisome when you see the stretcher come out, Leafs forward Mitch Marner said. We are praying for him. There are a lot bigger things than hockey.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe said that Muzzin was alert as he was taken to hospital for an assessment. Even if he could return to play, it is unclear how long he would have to quarantine after leaving the bubble that has been established to protect the NHLs Eastern Conference teams from the spread of COVID-19.

The decision rests with the hub sites medical and event directors and depends on the type and degree of exposure he is subject to outside the secure zone.

The apparent injury to Muzzin, one of only two players on the Toronto roster to have won a Stanley Cup, cast a pall over an otherwise encouraging performance by the Leafs. They outshot Columbus 39-20 and dominated the contest from start to finish.

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Torontos goals came on a deflection by Auston Matthews with four minutes remaining in the second period, on a breakaway by John Tavares nearly five minutes into the third and on an empty-netter by Morgan Rielly with 43 seconds left.

Andersen turned away all 20 Columbus shots and has now stopped 53 of 54 in the two games. On Tuesday he became the first Leafs goaltender to record a shutout in the playoffs since Ed Belfour had one against the Ottawa Senators in April, 2004. Game 3 of the series will be played on Thursday night.

The victory kept Toronto from falling into an 0-2 hole in the Return to Play series, whose winner will advance to the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In 56 previous best-of-five-game postseason series before this year, only one team has ever won after losing the first two.

The Blue Jackets took the lead with a 2-0 victory on Sunday in which goalie Joonas Korpisalo was impeccable and their defence severely limited the Leafs chances. The sequel was much different, with most of the the action occurring at the Columbus end of the ice. Its offence was so lifeless that John Tortorella, the visiting teams head coach, was seen shouting at Dubois as he sat on the bench during the third period.

Every game is going to be slightly different and have its own personality, Keefe said. Today I thought we fore-checked really hard right from the start and some loose pucks became available and gave us an extra opportunity to attack the net.

Our guys brought it to another level today from a competitive standpoint and that really helped us in all regards.

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Korpisalo stood out again, stopping numerous dangerous shots that appeared destined for the back of his net. It took the Leafs 96 minutes and 55 shots to finally get one by him. At one point, Tavares was so frustrated that he skated off the ice with eyes cast skyward as if he could not believe what he had just seen.

I thought there was a couple [of shots] that were deflected and were a little bit more fortunate on his side, but hes obviously playing really well, Tavares said. He is a really good goalie and made some great saves. I just tried to focus on the next shift and the next opportunity.

It took him eight shots before he finally beat Korpisalo with a shot below his right arm on the breakaway.

On the goal, I was our last forward coming back and I kind of anticipated that the puck might be coming the other way, Tavares said. I was able to get a good bead on it and lucky enough to get that opportunity. It was nice to finish it off, especially after some of the chances I had.

Toronto outshot Columbus 15-6 in the first period, but failed to score despite having two power plays. The Blue Jackets were so overrun that it looked as if they were simply trying to survive the first 20 minutes and get back to their dressing room to regroup.

Korpisalo made a handful of tough saves, including snatching a hard puck out of the air off of a wrist shot by Matthews.

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Andersen, who was beaten by Cam Atkinson on a low shot to his right side on Sunday, was immediately tested in the same spot by Boone Jenner. This time the Toronto backstop deflected it away.

Kyle Clifford seemed to energize Toronto early on with a crushing hit on Dean Kukan behind the Leafs net. Clifford, acquired from Los Angeles because of his grit and playoff experience, barely played three minutes in the series opener. He previously won two Stanley Cups with the Kings.

Nearly all of the second period was played in Columbuss end, as the Leafs controlled possession. Korpisalo continued to thwart them, rejecting shots by Matthews, Kasperi Kapanen and Tavares multiple times. They finally scored on a nice exchange of passes between Matthews and Zach Hyman as they charged down the ice.

After taking a feed from Matthews on the right wing, Hyman skittered the puck in front of the net, where Matthews deflected it over the goalkeeper.

I was excited, said Matthews, who failed to score on six shots on Monday. Its the postseason, everything is tight out there and goals are hard to come by. It was nice to get that one and kind of jump-start a nice push.

The Leafs emerged from the game in a much better position than when they entered it, but their biggest concern is the health of Muzzin.

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Its very tough seeing one of your teammates go down, especially him, Tavares said. You know the type of warrior he is. What he brings to our team is unmeasurable.

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Muzzin injury mars Toronto win as Leafs level series with Blue Jackets - The Globe and Mail