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| Artist's impression of the Schiaparelli lander separating from the Trace Gas Orbiter as it approaches Mars. (Courtesy: ESA/ATG medialab) Alt: Artist's impression of the Schiaparelli lander separating from the Trace Gas Orbiter |
With Russia, the "20th times the charm" I suppose. We've had our failures as well. As you read though the text, you'll find that the chief element they're looking for is Methane, a source of biological (hoped) or geological activity. Too many puns have been made, so I'll leave any new ones to your imaginations.
A joint European and Russian probe to study the atmosphere and surface of Mars has successfully launched today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) – a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos – also includes the entry, descent and landing demonstrator module (EDM) that will test landing techniques for a future Mars rover.
When the TGO arrives at Mars following a seven-month journey, it will initially stay in a highly elliptical orbit until January 2017. ESA scientists will then use "aerobraking" – taking advantage of the planet's atmosphere to slow the spacecraft down – to manoeuvre the TGO into a more circular orbit with an altitude of 400 km. "We do not know exactly how long aerobraking will take because this depends on how effectively we can use atmospheric drag," Jorge Vago, project scientist for the mission, told physicsworld.com.
Researchers expect TGO's scientific mission to begin in December 2017, when it will then operate for five years. Carrying four instruments including spectrometers, high-resolution cameras and a neutron detector, the TGO will map Mars for sources of methane, which could be evidence for possible biological or geological activity. The mission will also chart hydrogen below Mars's surface up to a depth of around 1 m. This could, for example, reveal deposits of water-ice below the surface that could help to provide landing locations for future missions. Vago told physicsworld.com that observations with the TGO will be 1000 times better than previous missions.
Physics World: Mission to Mars launches in search of signs of life, Michael Banks
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