Mars Photo of the Day - Nov 20 2011

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Today's Image of Mars is of the lower portion of the central mound in Gale Crater. The central mound rises 5.5km above the northern crater floor and 4.5km above the southern crater floor and will be a prime target for Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity. The bottom of this image is actually the floor of the crater. 

What's so special about Gale Crater's central mound? 

Well the central mound is larger than any observed by a Mars rover before, which means that it contains more layers of deposits and will be able to tell scientists more about the ancient Martian past than ever before.

As you can see from the labels, the lowest portion of the mound is comprised of clays and sulfates, materials which are formed in the presence of water. The overlying layers contain sulfates, but very little clay, indicative of an environment in which water was evaporating and Mars was becoming drier. 

Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity will examine these layers in an attempt to determine whether Mars was ever able to support life.

Clicking on this image will take you to the original image page from NASA. 

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/USGS

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Europe and Russia Pledge to Send Man to Mars

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On Aug 17 2011 the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), Jean-Jacques Dordain, announced that they would partner with the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA) to "carry out the first flight to Mars together." The head of the RKA, Vladimir Popovkin welcomed the pledge. 

This commitment comes as the Euro-Russian Mars500 experiment comes to completion in November. Dordain does not set a time frame, but says that the Mars500 experiment has been a factor in the decision for the ESA and RKA's pledge to send a manned mission to Mars. 

The Mars500 program was initiated on June 03 2010 by the Moscow Institute of Medical and Biological Problems in order to simulate a mission to Mars. The experiment simulates a 250 day journey to Mars, a 30 day stay on The Red Planet, and a 240 day return flight.  Mars500 simulates emergency situations that a manned mission to Mars might encounter and attempts to accurately determine how well humans can cope with a trip to and from Mars.

The spacecraft's crew is led by 38 year old engineer Alexei Sitev, and also includes Russian surgeon Sukhrob Kamolov, 32, and Russian general practitioner Alexander Smolevsky, 33. Non-Russian crew members include Italian Diego Urbina, 27, China's Wang Yue, 27, and the Roman Charles from France, 31.

The Crew of Mars500 in their mock spacecraft Source: ESA

Dordain's commitment to Mars travel is something to be expected, as the United States' NASA has set a goal of setting a man on Mars by the mid 2030s. The competition that this new announcement might bring could help increase the priority of a manned mission to Mars and push up the date. It would bring great prestige to the nation that could land the first man on Mars, much like the moon landing helped to solidify NASA's leadership in space.

A time frame for a joint Euro-Russian mission to Mars has yet to be set by the ESA or RKA, but as Mars500 culminates there will likely be an announcement on the matter. Igor Lisov, an analyst for the Moscow-based journal Novosti Kosmonavtike (Cosmonautic News) gave his own estimation of the time frame to the Voice of Russia saying "If they decide to implement an emergency program, the mission may be carried out in 10 years. If it is an ordinary one, then it will take 20 years. This is a long period of time." While this is not an official statement from either agency, it provides hope for those hoping to see a man on Mars in their lifetime. 

Cooperation between the two space agencies when it comes to Mars is not unprecedented. Both agencies, as well as NASA, have worked together since 2006 to develop EkzoMars (ExoMars), a Mars rover that will be launched from a Russian Proton Rocket in 2013 and supplied with both Russian and European equipment. 

ExoMars Rover

 It is firmly believed in Russian and Europe that future success with Mars travel and exploration will be made by working together. There are sure to be some exciting developments and/or announcements in the coming months as the Mars500 simulation comes to an end! 

Mars Photo of the Day - Aug 12 2011

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Today's Mars photo of this day is Odyssey Crater as taken by Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Odyssey crater is a small crater at the edge of the much larger Endeavour Crater. This has been Opportunity's goal for almost 3 years. For more information about this photo and why the location is so significant, just click on the photo itself!

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The Significance of Mars Travel and Exploration

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We live in a world that continually shows us the worst of humanity; whether it be tyrants killing civilians, riots in London, or childish bickering among legislators in Washington. Every day we are told that something bad, or even horrible has happened, but rarely are we reminded of humanity's strength and magnificence. Rarely are we reminded that we have and continue to accomplish amazing feats every single day. There are so many great, fantastic, and unbelievably selfless things that humanity has done and achieved. Some of these remarkable achievements can be seen in our exploration of Mars.

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

Humanity designed a pair of rovers (Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit  and Opportunity) and sent them to Mars. We  have used them to traverse miles of the alien terrain for years. It is remarkable enough that we have set objects on another planet, but the fact that we are using them to send footage of that planet back to Earth is astounding. We can now examine rocks on another planet. That would have been unimaginable less than a century ago. Is this not a remarkable feat?




Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

We have also sent the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to Mars where it has taken thousands of high definition photos of the planet. These photos, along with those from other orbiters, have been put together to allow the average person to explore Mars from the comfort of their living room through revolutionary software like Google Mars. Is this not an amazing accomplishment? Just 10 years ago NASA didn't have the images of Mars that every person has access to on their personal computer today. This in and of itself is an unbelievable accomplishment.

The fact that we now have evidence that salt water is currently flowing on Mars is testament to the remarkable discoveries and accomplishments that humanity is capable of making.

There have been many more accomplishments made by exploring Mars, all of which show the enduring and determined nature of the human spirit. These accomplishments show that humanity can accomplish anything we set our minds to, but more importantly they show that, as a species, we are better than some of our less exemplary individuals.

It is unfortunate that humanity's achievements are not heralded as much as our failings are broadcast, but this disproportionate representation does not mean that our accomplishments are less than our shortcomings. If ever you start despairing about the current state of humanity, take a look at Google Mars or the images from Spirit and Opportunity and remember that the human race is performing countless great feats every single day.

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. - Mohandas Gandhi

Mars Rover Opportunity Set to Begin Exploring Endeavour Crater

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Two Rovers a Planet Away

When Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on opposite sides of The Red Planet in January of 2004 they had missions that were to last 90 sol (~92.47 days). These missions were extended numerous times as the lifespans of both rovers far exceeded the wildest dreams of the mission coordinators. The two Mars Rovers have traversed and analyzed more Martian terrain than anyone believed they would, observing and discovering remarkable things about the Martian planet, everywhere from observation of astronomical phenomena from Mars to discovering water-altered rocks and even carbonates. It was thus with great sadness that NASA lost contact with and aborted Spirit on May 25, 2011. Even though its twin was lost, there is still Opportunity to analyze Mars and give humanity a better understanding of The Red Planet and its current environment. It is Opportunity's latest venture that we follow today.

An Artist's Rendering of Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

Endeavour Crater

Opportunity's journey toward Endeavour Crater began in August 2008. It has been a long three years, but now the Mars Rover is just days from reaching its target at the rim of Endeavour Crater, code named Spirit Point in memory of Mars Rover Spirit. 

Panoramic sent back to Earth by Mars Rover Opportunity Aug 6 2011 - Labeled by The Road to Endeavour

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Curiosity to Land at Gale Crater

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"Mars is firmly in our sights. Curiosity not only will return a wealth of important science data, but it will serve as a precursor mission for human exploration to the Red Planet." -NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

The Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity, is set to launch between November 25 and December 18, 2011. Its primary mission is to determine whether Mars is, or ever was, habitable. Curiosity will examine soil and rock samples to determine whether there is any sign of past or present microbial life. It will also try to determine the past and present extent of water on Mars.

Introduction to Curiosity

Curiosity is five times larger than any other rover sent to Mars. The new rover weighs 600 kg (2000 lbs) and carries more than ten times the amount of scientific equipment of previous rovers.

Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity

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