Such a mission, as the European ExoMars other, earlier missions to Mars are associated with great risk and great difficulty, says popularizer of astronomy Carl Wójcicki, commenting on the maneuvers of the probe Schiaparelli.
As he added, at the time of landing of the probe deposited on itself; scientists have no control over them, because the distance from Earth to Mars is so great that the radio signal overcomes it in approx 9 minutes.
on Saturday until 17.00 h on Mars was scheduled for a very important test of the ESA landing probe Schiaparelli. “Schiaparelli is a European platform that had to perform two tasks. First, to hold probę landing, which is a test before sending for four years on the Red Planet on the European ExoMars Rover. If that landing was a success, after a few days the probe-fed Russian, radioizotopowym generator thermoelectric elements przeprowadzałaby a series of studies that could provide information about the past of the red Planet, in particular, to a new way to confirm that on Mars there was water in the liquid state,” – says Karol Wójcicki.
testing of planting was the main objective of echoes of the maneuver. “After 16.40, when the landing began, information about it was transmitted to Earth by space probe Trace Gas Orbiter – the same one with which Schapiarelli this ship to Mars. These two structures were related to each other three days ago, but then their separation occurred: Schiaparelii moved in the direction of the Mars Trace Gas Orbiter began to maneuver the orbit of Mars, where he in the coming years, to conduct research of this planet’s atmosphere,” reminded Wójcicki, the leading portal for “head in the stars.”
“And then began the stairs,” said he, adding that the Trace Gas Orbiter was supposed to be something like a telephone exchange is to be a mediator between lądownikiem and Earth. This communication at some point was, however, unreliable. “Trace Gas Orbiter received from the probe Schiaparelli signals the start of the landing maneuver. Initially thought to be a weak signal, indicating that Schiaparelli he came out of hibernation and began the whole procedure. Then he walked into the marsjańską atmosphere and started braking. Later came the information that laid out the parachute, then what unfolded parachute Schiaparelli rejected the insulator, which helped him to enter the atmosphere. And that was all. More information was received,” says Wójcicki.
popularyzatora should not, however, testify to the failure of the mission: could it be that the signal from the probe, and so weak and were not available through the Trace Gas Orbiter.
fortunately, around Mars orbit more other: landing nasłuchiwała also probe Mars Express, which was broadcast live, but your information is transmitted to Earth – and, as it turned out, was the same as Trace Gas Orbiter. On the Ground also need to drain the data from the probe U.S. Mars Reconaissance Orbiter. “May be, confirm that the probe is approaching Mars, and if problems occurred during the process of landing, and therefore neither of the two sensors were not able to contact her,” he adds.
“but we can’t talk about the failed mission,” estimates Karol Wójcicki. – “Scientists wanted to test the landing procedure. And we know that the Trace Gas Orbiter received later very detailed information transmitted through the probe, showing the work of individual units, components, data, temperatures, tilt angles (i.e. telemetry). This data is more than 20MB, then send them overnight on the Land will allow us to conclude what happened at the moment of landing.”
Carl Wójcicki adds that an important event was the same entrance Schiaparelli probe to Mars orbit. “In determining from the edge of the planet Mars it is the signal exactly in the same place where scientists expected it. This may indicate that the probe has entered the correct orbit – follow-up analysis of that signal is confirmed. This element of the mission failed 100 percent,” he said.
Wójcicki he added that in a mission such as ExoMars scientists are prepared (e.g., hardware) after a few years. “However, there is always an element of risk, which is not able to anticipate. Mid October, Mars is a moment of pretty intense dust storms. The probe, she had a job to study them. But as hard as he sits on a plane in a thunderstorm – Yes, probably, not an easy task shouldn’t be landing on the surface of Mars during a dust storm. Although lądowaliśmy already on Mars several times – can always be issues on which we have no influence”.
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