The European Space Agency (ESA) has officially hired Airbus to build a specially designed spacecraft for the purpose of bringing the first samples of Martian rocks back to Earth. Indeed, the American and European space agencies are about to begin a daring effort to bring back to Earth samples of Martian rocks and soils. This mission will involve two robots to collect the best specimens and an elaborate delivery system.
The goal of this future spacecraft, which will be a true interplanetary cargo ship, is to help us find out if ancient life ever existed on the Red Planet, by bringing back samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover.
The Perseverance rover is a robotic machine with six reds, equipped with 23 cameras and a drill. This is this rover who will search for signs of ancient life on Mars once arrived at your destination, more precisely in a large crater named Jezero.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is designed to look for signs of ancient alien microbes on the surface of the Red Planet. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
–
An ambitious project
« It’s not only twice as difficult as any typical Martian mission: it’s exponential when you think about the complexity involved. ”Said David Parker, director of human and robotic exploration, European Space Agency. ” And this satellite that Airbus is going to build, I like to call it ‘the first interplanetary freighter’, because that is what it will be. It is designed to transport goods between Mars and Earth Parker added.
While the Mars rover Perseverance was launched by NASA (it is the latter that will dig the Martian soil to collect rock samples), the Europeans are now working on how to bring these samples back to Earth.
The vessel, baptized Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), will weigh 6.5 tonnes and its solar panels will span 39 meters. It will be launched in 2026. It will be ionic motors, powered by huge solar panels, which will in turn power its round trip.
Has the red planet ever been home to life? The evidence could be found in his rocks. Credit: Kees Veenenbos / Space4Case
–
Bringing rocks back to Earth from Mars will involve the work of several NASA and ESA robots, working together. This is the “Martian sample return mission”, known as MSR, from the English Mars Science Return. The latter aims to collect samples of Martian soil and return them to Earth for analysis. Only soil samples carefully selected on site for their potential interest while having the geological context will allow (once brought back to Earth) to perform in-depth analyzes using heavy equipment that only exists on our planet, and thus to provide information making it possible to trace the history of Mars and to determine if life existed, and in what form.
You will also like: Mysterious cloud on Mars reappears near volcano
First, a NASA lander (still unknown at present), carrying a “fetch rover” built by ESA, will recover samples collected by the Perseverance rover, the first link on the mission site ( explorer and excavator), and place them in the lander (currently unnamed). Then, a small NASA rocket, called the Mars Ascent Vehicle, or MAV, will then bring these samples into orbit of the Red Planet.
Then, once in orbit around Mars, ERO will collect these Martian rock samples and attempt to return to Earth. It will then release the capsule (the size of a soccer ball) over the Utah desert in 2031.
It is then that scientists will study the rocks and soil brought back using advanced techniques, including some that have yet to be invented. In any case, these samples will help to better understand the history of Mars and to know if the planet has ever supported microbial life forms.
Source : BBC
–
