Mission ExoMars will carry out the European Space Agency (RSA) and the Russian Federation Space Agency – Roskosmos.
The researchers hope that the mission will help them in the search for biological traces of life on Mars. It consists of four platform space, which will be sent toward the Red Planet in two rounds.
The first phase will begin on Monday. At. 10.30 Polish time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Russian rocket Proton-M will be in the space lander “Schiaparelli EDM”, whose task will be to study meteorological conditions on Mars.
The second part of the day sent into space will be artificial satellite “ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter,” looking at the planet’s surface trace gases related to the life or geological processes. Lander probe will reach Mars in October 2016 year.
– The purpose of the tools placed on the satellite ExoMars Trace Gas Obiter will determine the amount coming out from under the surface of Mars so. trace gases, which in very small quantities are present in the atmosphere of the Red Planet – said Dr. Paul Wajer the Space Research Centre (SRC PAS) in Warsaw.
It is one of the Polish scientists working on aspects of international scientific experiment.
These areas of Mars, which can emit trace amounts of gases to photograph placed on the satellite camera cassis. It was built mainly in Switzerland and Italy, but their contribution to its preparation were also scientists from SRC PAS. Their tasks included, among others, the execution of the power supply to the camera.
In turn, the Polish company Creotech Instruments, acting on behalf of CBK PAN, mounted by elements of the power system camera.
– The camera will take pictures of the Martian surface, eg. In the infrared or near-infrared. The picture will be taken at an angle of approx. 10 degrees, then the orbiter will fly a piece of the orbit cam rotates in seconds. With this, the same area is photographed at a different angle and obtain three-dimensional image – Dr Wajer described.
Cassis to photograph these areas of Mars, which can emit trace gases.
– One such gas is methane. On Mars, we found it approx. 10 years ago. On Earth it arises from the activity of living organisms, so I immediately arise speculation whether Mars was or is life, which makes the extraction of this gas. Of course, it can be formed in a manner unrelated to living organisms – pointed out the researcher.
He added that this gas fairly quickly and gives off quite quickly disappears. – There is also no specific sources of its extraction. Placed on four instruments orbiter satellites ExoMars Trace Gas Obiter – interacting with each other – they bring us closer to solving this riddle – he explained.
Scientists from the Space Research Centre – the members of the consortium responsible for the construction of the ExoMars Trace Gas Obiter – as one of the first to have access to data transmitted by the camera Cassis.
– This will among only a dozen institutions, which will first analyze the data provided by the probe. Later, after a year, the data are already publicly – said Dr. Wajer.
If all goes according to plan, the first data from the satellite ExoMars Trace Gas Obiter should start to flow in two years.
Also on the lander Schiaparelli will be Polish accent: infrared detectors manufactured by VIGO System from Ożarów Mazowiecki. It will not be the first task of Polish detectors on Mars. On the Red Planet were already in 2012, as part of a research rover Curiosity.
Schiaparelli will examine, among others, weather conditions during landing on Mars. To conduct tests during re-entry and landing, will be used in the German system, prompting the outer shell of the lander. One of its elements will be just Polish infrared detectors.
The second part of the ExoMars mission will begin in 2018. Then another Russian rocket sends toward Mars rover “ExoMars Rover”, which is to look for signs of biological life there. Safe deposition on the surface of the planet will allow him lander “ExoMars Rover Lander.” On Mars, they are to be found in 2,019 years.
In finding a suitable place to the rear of the lander and rover, will help scientists photographs taken and sent previously by said camera cassis.
The European Space Agency plans to carry live coverage of Monday’s launch rocket Proton-M. She will be followed on the web: http://www.esa.int/ESA
PAP, kk
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