Mars is about to become crowded. When the spacecraft carrying NASAs Perseverance rover safely launched from Cape Canaveral on 30 July, it became the third in a small fleet of spacecraft now heading for the Red Planet: one from the US, one from China, and one from the United Arab Emirates.
Any Mars launch is exciting, but with three space agencies all planning to arrive at Mars next February, the drama is more intense than usual. Not to mention that NASAs launch was accompanied by a small earthquake, magnitude 3.9, which rattled its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California one of the sites overseeing the launch about 20 minutes before liftoff.
Happily, the earthquake did not affect the mission, which lifted off exactly on schedule at 7:50 Eastern Daylight Time. They never lost the signal, says launch manager Omar Baez. They said they were ready to proceed, and we able to launch on time.
It was just the Earth being excited about going to Mars, jokes JPLs director, Michael Watkins.
The first of the three missions, called Hope (Al Amal in Arabic), was launched by the UAE Space Agency a newcomer to planetary exploration atop a Japanese rocket on 20 July.
The mission is the first Mars launch ever attempted by an Arab nation. The name was chosen because it sends a message of optimism to millions of young Arabs, says Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of the Emirate of Dubai. If a small, young Arab nation is able to reach Mars, truly anything is possible, adds project manager Omran Sharaf.
Its a message of hope also to women scientists who, according to a tabulation by the New York Times, make up a whopping four-fifths of the entire science team.
The government has invested heavily in education, especially womens education, says Robert Lillis, associate director for planetary science at the University of California Berkeleys Space Sciences Laboratory, which provided science collaboration, training, and instrument components for the mission.
The project, he says, is part of the Emirates effort to prepare for a post-oil world, to lay the groundwork for a future in which entrepreneurs, inventors and ideas not oil are funding their economy.
The mission is an orbiter designed to study the Martian atmosphere and weather in unprecedented detail.
Our science mission is to produce the first-ever truly global picture of the Martian atmosphere, says Sharaf. This is the first holistic study of the Martian climate and how the layers of the atmosphere fit together.
The Chinese launch, a mission called Tianwen-1, came three days later. (Its name means heavenly questions, chosen in honor of a 2300-year-old classical Chinese poem.)
It is Chinas second attempt to go to Mars. The first failed in 2011 when the Russian mission on which it piggybacked couldnt get out of Earth orbit.
Since then, China has had two successful landings on the Moon, and with Tianwen-1 is attempting a twofer: a package that includes both an orbiter and a rover.
If the rover lands safely, China will become only the third country to successfully land on Mars. (The other two are the US and the former Soviet Union, whose Mars 3 lander survived a mere 110 seconds after it soft-landed in 1971). It will be only the second to deploy a rover.
Although it will reach Mars in February, it wont land immediately. Instead, it will go into a mapping orbit, trying to pick the best landing site before the rover attempts the descent a couple of months later.
NASAs Perseverance mission is a prelude to a hoped-for Mars sample return mission scheduled for 2026-2031. Its job is to explore a crater that was known to host a lake, collecting rock samples that might contain signatures of ancient life. It will then cache these samples for later retrieval and return to Earth for examination with much more advanced laboratory equipment than can be put on a rover.
In the process, Perseverance will also study the craters geology, attempt to make oxygen from the carbon dioxide in the thin Martian air, and even deploy a helicopter that, if all goes well, will make the first powered, controlled flight on an alien world.
A fourth probe, also a rover, also was scheduled for launch this month, this one a joint project of the European Space Agency and Russia. It has been postponed to 2022, however, due to an engineering problem.
A two-year delay was required because Mars launch windows only occur every 26 months the reason why four different programs had all scheduled launches for this month.)
Meanwhile, Hope, Tianwen-1, and Perseverance are securely on their way.
Im looking forward to ideally a very quiet and boring trip to Mars, as we prepare for the never-boring and always-stressful entry, descent and landing, says Perseverances chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, in a sentiment that is undoubtedly shared by the Chinese and the Emiratis.
The Royal Institution of Australia has an Education Resource based on this article. You can access it here.
The rest is here:
Mars is the place (in space) to be - Cosmos
- Space | National Archives - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- 50 Years of Presidential Visions for Space Exploration - January 30th, 2017 [January 30th, 2017]
- New 'Life' Trailer Brings Terrifying Thrills from Mars (Exclusive) - Space.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Obama gutted NASA. Here are 3 ways Trump can make space ... - Conservative Review - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Dassault Systemes sets eyes on space exploration, faster transport - Economic Times - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cassini Captures Stunning View of Enceladus | Space Exploration ... - Sci-News.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Space Exploration: Astronauts' Brains Are Changed By Spaceflight, MRI-Based Study Reveals - International Business Times - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- TeamIndus launches Moonshot Wheels to inspire Indian rural students about Space Exploration - International Business Times, India Edition - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Belarus invites Iran to cooperate in pharmaceutical industry, space exploration - Belarus News (BelTA) - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Cabinet briefed on India-Vietnam Framework Agreement on outer space exploration - Daily News & Analysis - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Legislation Would Require Strategic Plan for NASA Human Spaceflight - Space.com - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Trump's Vision of Space Exploration - The New American - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- New NASA Leadership Inherits Rejuvenated Space Exploration Program - eNews Park Forest - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Outgoing NASA Team Leaves Its Successors With Robust Options for Space Exploration - Center For American Progress - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Space exploration brought to life for pupils - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Mechs and greater space exploration are on the way in Starbound's ... - PCGamesN - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- As US, Russia eye stagnant space budgets, India ramps up investment - Ars Technica - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Nuclear Reactors to Power Space Exploration - R & D Magazine - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- NASA spends $2mn on 'advanced life support tech' for deep space travel - RT - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Space Exploration: Could A Habitable Planet Feature A Habitable Moon? - Forbes - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Turkmenistan Aims High as It Pledges Space Exploration - EurasiaNet - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Republicans Aim to Prioritize NASA Space Exploration Efforts Over Environmental Research - Independent Journal Review - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- One huge step: Trump's plans to privatize 'low Earth orbit' and send NASA into deep space - Yahoo News - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- How reusable rockets are paving the way for the next phase of space exploration - Mirror.co.uk - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- NASA Funds 2 New Research Institutes to Help Humanity Explore Deep Space - Space.com - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Space Startups Are Booming in the Mojave Desert - Fortune - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Sen. Nelson Talks Space Exploration At Florida A&M University ... - WFSU - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- DELINGPOLE: NASA to Stop Shilling for Big Green, Restart Exploring Space - Breitbart News - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Nuclear reactors to power space exploration - Los Alamos Monitor - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Space exploration programs must continue - The Eagle - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Editorial: Exploration can help us understand this planet - Loveland Reporter-Herald - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- NASA selects new technologies for flight tests for future space exploration - Space Daily - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Why Does NASA Suddenly Want Humans On New Spacecraft's First Flight? - Vocativ - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- NASA seeks university-level solutions for deep space human exploration challenges - Pulse Headlines - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Should Humans Leave Space Exploration To Robots? - Forbes - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Space Exploration - WGN Radio - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- EDITORIAL: Jumping at space travel - Indiana Daily Student - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Why the 'ultimate wearables' lie in the future of space exploration - Wareable - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- How to improve SA's space program - News24 - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Darlington power plant helps fuel NASA's space exploration - CTV News - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Donald Trump Will Call For a Return of Human Space Exploration - Inverse - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- What Donald Trump Said About Space Travel During His Speech - Heavy.com - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Trump's call for human space exploration is hugely wasteful and pointless - Los Angeles Times - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- What is the fascination with space exploration? - Grand Valley Lanthorn - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Teachers attend space exploration conference, bring back lessons out of this world - Arlington Times - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Reader applauds space exploration pioneers - Fairfaxtimes.com - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Jeff Bezos Expected to Unveil Further Plans for Private Space Exploration - Wall Street Journal (subscription) - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Your Cheat-Sheet Guide to the New Space Race - Slate Magazine - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Amazon chief to announce new space exploration plans - RT - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Amazon Chief Bezos Expected to Unveil Further Private Space Exploration Plans - Fox Business - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- If India or China Beats the US to Mars, It Will Feel Like a Military Defeat - Slate Magazine - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- When We Explore Space, We Go Together - Slate Magazine - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- How Barack Obama ruined NASA space exploration - The Hill (blog) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Future Tense Newsletter: Space Exploration Isn't Just About Scientific Discovery - Slate Magazine (blog) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- NASA Funds 133 Projects to Aid Deep Space Exploration - PC Magazine - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- A Trinity professor will play a big role in space exploration - thejournal.ie - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Congress Passes Space Exploration Act, Targets Mars - America Now - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Russia Aims to Develop New Cooperation in Space Exploration - Sputnik International - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- NASA Announces 2017 'Chroniclers,' Recognizing Those Who ... - SpaceCoastDaily.com - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- The Pros And Cons Of Privatizing Space Exploration - Forbes - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Space Exploration Experts Look to Next Frontiers at Event - UMass Lowell - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- CNSA boss outlines China's space exploration agenda - SpaceNews - SpaceNews - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- These Are the Wildly Advanced Space Exploration Concepts Being ... - Gizmodo - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation - Wikipedia - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- A Brief History of Space Exploration - The Aerospace Corporation - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Americans Like Spending Money on Space Exploration, Survey Finds - Inverse - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Launch of India's biggest rocket is a defining moment in space exploration - DailyO - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Space Matter: The Trouble with Spacesuits :: Science :: Features ... - Paste Magazine - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- China willing to cooperate in peaceful space exploration: Xi - Space Daily - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Pence reiterates plans to reestablish the National Space Council - SpaceNews - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Space Exploration: Can Private Companies Operate in Space? - Law Street Media (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Space Exploration Game 'Outreach' Receives First Gameplay Trailer ... - Hardcore Gamer - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Will Space Exploration lead us to a Global Space Agency - Space Daily - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- The Origami of Space Exploration - Scientific American (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Ocean vs Space: Exploration and the Quest to Inspire the Public - Marine Technology News - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- A 3D-printed rocket engine just launched a new era of space exploration - The Independent - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Belarus' drive for peaceful space exploration underlined - Belarus News (BelTA) - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Here's why you should pay close attention to India's space program - Mashable - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- China to provide more opportunities to private companies for space exploration - Space Daily - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Space exploration: The solutions to land scarcity - Real Estate Weekly - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]