The stars of Europe’s first Mars rover ExoMars aren’t yet aligned, but scientists say aging vehicles could play a big part in answering one of Mars exploration’s biggest questions. I still believe there is
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars rover, Rosalind Franklin, is perhaps the most prominent casualty of the space industry in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Originally planned for 2018, the rover was finally declared ready for launch on a Russian Proton rocket from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in September this year (after several delays). But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put an end to those plans.
ESA officially ended its cooperation with Russia on its ExoMars mission in July, and the rover, conceived in 2004, was again suspended in the air and, more importantly, on the surface of Mars. There were no landing pads to place. (This landing platform was built by Russia, which joined the ExoMars program in 2012 after its original partner NASA withdrew in 2012.)
ESA has not yet decided the fate of the mission. The program has already cost him $1.3 billion, so he must choose between scrapping the rover entirely or spending a significant amount more to replace Russian parts.
John Bridges, a professor of planetary sciences at the University of Leicester in the UK, told Space.com: “But as long as you can maintain it, it doesn’t have to be the latest technology. It’s not a big deal if you go by bike instead of the latest car.”
For the latter option, the most optimistic estimates would see the Exomers rover leaving Earth in 2028. Aborting the mission may not be an option at all for many European scientists, let alone investment. Plans are already underway for missions to bring it, but the aging ExoMars rover could add a lot to our understanding of Mars, they say. In fact, some of these questions cannot be answered with stellar patience.
drilling promise
The greatest strength and scientific promise of the ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin is its two-meter drill bit. Some astrobiologists say they’re more likely to find traces of past or present Martian life on Mars than their agile endurance.
“The rock fragments that Perseverance collects come from the surface in its immediate vicinity,” says an astrobiologist at the Open University in the UK and a multidisciplinary scientist and member of the ExoMars mission’s science team. says Susanne Schwenzer. On NASA’s Curiosity and Mars Sample Return missions, according to Space.com. “And the surface in its immediate vicinity is being attacked by galactic cosmic rays and ultraviolet, which are destroying organic matter.”
Summary of the news:
- Europe’s damaged Mars rover is still vital in the search for life on Mars
- Check all the news and articles from the latest space news updates.
Apr 9, 2022