Mars Missions

[Sandhi Yudha]

Some interesting and detailed photos taken by the the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) on the Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter.
On the first photo the surface of Mars looks like an oxidized copper piece of artwork.

CaSSIS mission: The camera capturing Mars' craters and canyons

The instrument takes images of dust storms, frost deposits and minerals on the Red Planet's surface.

www.bbc.com

 

[bearnard19]

I didn`t find that. It was just my assumption about easier and more secure Mars exploration process. Thank you for explenation that it is impossible to make such kind of space mission even in separated modules it would be riskful, complicated, expensive and unpractical. I just wanted to discuss that idea with you

 

[bearnard19]

Wait, you really mean moving the entire existing International Space Station from LEO to an orbit around Mars!?

Thats just impossible. Even in separated modules it would be riskful, complicated, expensive and unpractical.

There are also no serious plans to bring a space station in orbit around Mars. The construction of the Lunar Gateway will start in 2024m at the earliest, but looking the the current situation on our planet it could be easily moved backwards/delayed with a couple of years.

Thank you for your explanation)
It was very useful for me

 

[ngatimozart]

I didn`t find that. It was just my assumption about easier and more secure Mars exploration process. Thank you for explenation that it is impossible to make such kind of space mission even in separated modules it would be riskful, complicated, expensive and unpractical. I just wanted to discuss that idea with you

With the present level of technology, a manned orbital station in Martian orbit is not viable, but in time that will change as technology advances. The biggest operational cost is actually getting the station components into earth orbit, because of our dependence upon solid and liquid fueled rocketry to lift everything into orbit and beyond. A significantly large component of a rocket's mass is its own fuel which it has to lift as well. Assembly in orbit and the transit to Mars is relatively cheap in comparison.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Today 18 February 2021 Nasa's Perseverance rover will attempt to land on Mars.

Nasa Perseverance rover: How this Mars landing will be different

Nasa's Perseverance rover is aiming for Jezero Crater, considered “too dangerous” for previous spacecraft.

www.bbc.com

 

[bearnard19]

Today 18 February 2021 Nasa's Perseverance rover will attempt to land on Mars.

Nasa Perseverance rover: How this Mars landing will be different

Nasa's Perseverance rover is aiming for Jezero Crater, considered “too dangerous” for previous spacecraft.

www.bbc.com

By the way did you hear about the first ever UK-built Mars rover? The launch schedules for 2022
The overall objective of this mission is to investigate the presence and history of water on Mars to consider the question of whether or not life either has existed or still does exist there.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

By the way did you hear about the first ever UK-built Mars rover? The launch schedules for 2022
The overall objective of this mission is to investigate the presence and history of water on Mars to consider the question of whether or not life either has existed or still does exist there.

You mean the Rosalind Franklin rover from the second part of the ESA-Roskosmos Exomars program?
Yes, hopefully all participants can handle everything on time for the launchwindow in 2022. Setbacks and delays are still possible in this time of pandemics and Brexit.

Japan also plan to launch a spacecraft to Mars that year. The Tera-hertz Explorer (TEREX) mission is a planned orbiter and lander that will be carrying a Terahertz sensor to the surface of Mars to measure the oxygen isotope ratios of various molecules in the atmosphere.

Japan's first Marsprobe is Nozomi, which was launched in 1998, sadly it failed to reach a succesful orbit around Mars. It has a similar mission, to research the atmosphere of Mars, they could actually call "TEREX" "Nozomi 2".

 

[Ananda]

What will be also interesting, is how this UAV will work on Mars. Perseverance Rover is the next stage on mobility function in Mars. The Chinese now is aiming on that too.

However operating UAV independently by the Rover, will improve their mobility coverage much more. Imagine if this's workable, then next stage perhaps they can send swarm of UAV on different directions. Once they found something interesting, then the AI will send their Rover for further investigation.

 

[bearnard19]

You mean the Rosalind Franklin rover from the second part of the ESA-Roskosmos Exomars program?
Yes, hopefully all participants can handle everything on time for the launchwindow in 2022. Setbacks and delays are still possible in this time of pandemics and Brexit.

Japan also plan to launch a spacecraft to Mars that year. The Tera-hertz Explorer (TEREX) mission is a planned orbiter and lander that will be carrying a Terahertz sensor to the surface of Mars to measure the oxygen isotope ratios of various molecules in the atmosphere.

Japan's first Marsprobe is Nozomi, which was launched in 1998, sadly it failed to reach a succesful orbit around Mars. It has a similar mission, to research the atmosphere of Mars, they could actually call "TEREX" "Nozomi 2".

Yeah, you are right, I am talking about Rosalind Franklin. Accordind to the news I found on a website of a launcher rocket company this mission is about to happen in 2022. But I schould agree with you that some delays might happen because of unstable situation with corona virus and other stuff. Getting back to Rosalind Franklin mission I wanna add that more and more countries are taking part in Mars exploration mission and that one looks great as the aim of that mission ( as I have already mentioned) to explore water on Mars and signs of life

 

[bearnard19]

The United Arab Emirates made their first mission to the red planet. It has put a probe called Hope in orbit around the planet.
UAE scientists can now look forward to studying the planet's atmosphere.
Their satellite carries three instruments that will observe, among other targets, how neutral atoms of hydrogen and oxygen - remnants from Mars' once abundant water - leak into space.
So as we can see Mars exploration competition is getting wider.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Mars landing: Nasa's Perseverance rover in 'great shape'

Perseverance will now spend at least two years looking for evidence of past life on the Red Planet.

www.bbc.com

The six-wheeled Perseverance rover will now spend at least the next two years drilling into the local rocks, looking for evidence of past life.

After 2025 the soilsamples will be collected by the Sample Fetch Rover. The Sample Fetch Rover is together with the Earth Return Orbiter part of a joint ESA-NASA program to bring Mars-samples back to Earth

Airbus bouwt sonde die Marsstenen terugbrengt naar aarde

De bouw van het 'ruimtevrachtschip' maakt deel uit van een groot, gezamenlijk miljardenproject van ruimtevaartorganisaties ESA en NASA.

nos.nl

Bringing Mars Rocks to Earth: Our Greatest Interplanetary Circus Act (Published 2020)

NASA and the European Space Agency plan to toss rocks from one spacecraft to another before the samples finally land on Earth in 2031.

www.nytimes.com

 

[John Fedup]

If this new rover actually finds microscopic life on Mars, I wonder how that would change the parameters for bio containment of samples returning to Earth. After COVID, I would imagine the measures will have to be very extensive.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

If this new rover actually finds microscopic life on Mars, I wonder how that would change the parameters for bio containment of samples returning to Earth. After COVID, I would imagine the measures will have to be very extensive.

Personally i dont expect living organisms to be found, but it is not impossible. Big chance that they will cancel the plan to take some material to Earth and will try to analyse everything on Mars.

But that also means that we have to think about if its such a good idea to send humans to Mars. Or to keep it a one way trip, to be sure that Earth will not be contaminated with outer space organisms.

 

[bearnard19]

Personally i dont expect living organisms to be found, but it is not impossible. Big chance that they will cancel the plan to take some material to Earth and will try to analyse everything on Mars.

But that also means that we have to think about if its such a good idea to send humans to Mars. Or to keep it a one way trip, to be sure that Earth will not be contaminated with outer space organisms.

I assume that there is a possibility to find some forms of life on the red planet. I think that we can find something in the ice of Mars. I know it might sound odd but still, we cannot exclude the possibility of finding life on Mars.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

I assume that there is a possibility to find some forms of life on the red planet. I think that we can find something in the ice of Mars. I know it might sound odd but still, we cannot exclude the possibility of finding life on Mars.

Yes, who knows what we can find deep inside the polar caps.


The first colour images are received!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1362829136385896452

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1362831783444717568

More photos at Nasa scientists release new images of Perseverance rover on Mars at news briefing – as it happened

 

[ngatimozart]

If this new rover actually finds microscopic life on Mars, I wonder how that would change the parameters for bio containment of samples returning to Earth. After COVID, I would imagine the measures will have to be very extensive.

Thinking back to the Apollo 11 mission, when the astronauts returned to earth and were recovered after splashdown, they were kept in very strict isolation until they were cleared of any possible contamination by lunar lifeforms if they indeed existed. So it's been down before by NASA and quite capable of being done again.

I assume that there is a possibility to find some forms of life on the red planet. I think that we can find something in the ice of Mars. I know it might sound odd but still, we cannot exclude the possibility of finding life on Mars.

There is life in the dry valley in Antarctica which is one of the most barren, inhospitable places on earth. Life has been found in smokers at the bottom of the ocean where the temperatures are high, there is no oxygen and the dissolved gases are toxic. Smokers are hydrothermal vents that extrude sulphides, and other toxic materials from oceanic volcanic vents. Therefore it's feasible that some form of life may be found on Mars.

 

[Ananda]

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Reports In

The technology demonstration has phoned home from where it is attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover.

www.nasa.gov

Ingenuity UAV helicopter is the most interesting thing for me from this overall Perseverance program. I always want to know how in practice the Earth origin UAV flight behavior in Mars less dense atmosphere environment.

If this prove successful, then it will be really game changer on Mars planetary mission in future. UAV helicopter can easily go to places that hindering Land based Rover. They can be equipped with sensors that reading mineral material below surface, just like some UAV being used by mining companies now.

More importantly it can cover much more area, that usually can only be observe from orbital satellite. This's just flying drones being use in Star Wars, Star Trek and other science fiction movies for deep recon

 

[John Fedup]

Is this helicopter a one time flight proof of concept or is there a way to recharge it for multiple flights?

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

As you say, it is a technology demonstrator, but the onboard battery will be recharged by the solarpanel on top the contra-rotating rotors.
The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity has a rotordiameter of 1,2 meter, but only a weight of 1,8 kg! So it is extremely light for its size.
It has only a maximum flight time of 90 seconds and a maximum range of about 50 meters. One of the reasons for the short flight time is that around 1/3 of the battery energy is used to fly, the rest is for the electronics on board and to keep everyting warm in the ice-cold Martian atmosphere. The battery pack seems to consist of 6 Sony Li-Ion cells with 35–40 Wh (130–140 kJ) of battery energy capacity.

Here we have a very interesting video!

 

[buffy9]

Is this helicopter a one time flight proof of concept or is there a way to recharge it for multiple flights?

As you say, it is a technology demonstrator, but the onboard battery will be recharged by the solarpanel on top the contra-rotating rotors.

You beat me in reply, I'll post the link anyway.

How NASA Designed a Helicopter That Could Fly Autonomously on Mars

The Perseverance rover's Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity) will take off, navigate, and land on Mars without human intervention

spectrum.ieee.org

Essentially the atmosphere on Mars is significantly thinner, so the rotors have to spin faster in order to generate enough lift. This requires more energy, which puts some strain on the solar panel system powering it.

Ideally it will work out and will provide data for future missions, whether on Mars or elsewhere.

A technical video off of YouTube on Perseverance and Ingenuity, if anyone is interested.