Shown is the Chinese orbiter and rover called Tianwen-1, which is scheduled to arrive on Mars in February. If successful, it will be the first time an orbiter and rover combination has been sent to Mars.
Courtesy photo
As was discussed in the last article, Perseverance and Ingenuity launch no earlier than Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. They are scheduled to touch down on Mars Feb. 18, 2021.
We aren’t the only ones going to Mars during this launch window, though. The United Arab Emirates have launched an orbiter called Hope to learn more about the Martian atmosphere. It will arrive in February 2021.
A third mission going to Mars is a Chinese Orbiter and rover called Tianwen-1, which will also arrive in February. If successful, it will be the first time that an orbiter and rover combination has been sent to Mars. Tianwen-1 rover has a very similar design to the U.S. rover Opportunity, being powered by solar panels on its top deck, six wheels, and a 90-day engineering warranty. Like Perseverance, it will also feature ground penetrating radar, along with a slew of other instruments for learning more about the Chryse Planitia area of Mars. The Tianwen-1 orbiter will learn more about Mars’ atmosphere, and also carries ground-penetrating radar.
These missions are in the near future for Mars. Other missions that don’t involve human passengers include an upcoming rover from the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos called Exomars. Exomars will launch no earlier than 2022. Another robotic mission is a joint US-European sample return mission. You’ll recall that Perseverance is collecting samples from Mars. This is the mission that will return them to Earth.
“You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great — and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and going to Mars.” – Elon Musk.
To tell the story of how we will get to Mars, I will summarize SpaceX’s Mars exploration plan, since they are most likely to get to Mars first. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has stated that he wants to live on Mars. His rocket company, SpaceX, has the hardware to get this done. Development of the Starship rocket has been choppy at best, though, with several failed tests. The Starship is supposed to launch in 2020, but no announcement of launch has come as of yet. Still, the Starship is slated to hold a crew of up to 100. Before people go, however, supplies must be sent so that they are waiting for the crew. This is not a one-way trip, either. Colonists will be able to go back to Earth if need be. One way that this can happen is if they can use the soil and air of Mars to make rocket fuel.
All of this is supposed to happen before 2035. If you are like me, you’ve been waiting for astronauts to walk on Mars since the glory days of Apollo. The Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo astronauts was a Mars-rated vehicle-meaning that it could also go to Mars with some modifications. The most dangerous part of a six- or seven-month-long trip to Mars is the radiation exposure the crew would endure. This problem remains unsolved, so we will need to be patient.
For now, the future exploration of Mars is up to the robots. February 2021 will be an exciting time because all of those robots launching now will arrive then. I can’t wait to see what new and interesting things they will discover on Mars.
Ken Brandt is the director of the Robeson Inflatable Planetarium. The planetarium remains at the Robeson County Partnership for Children in downtown Lumberton while awaiting a rebuild after the flooding caused by hurricanes Matthew and Florence. If you are interested in helping the rebuilding effort, email Ken at [email protected] For more information about the Robeson Planetarium and Science Center visit https://ift.tt/2OVYxe2.
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July 25, 2020 at 06:05PM
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February looks to be exciting month for Mars exploration - The Robesonian
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