“I hope that tonight is going to work,” says Yorick la Rivière, student of Aerospace Engineering at the TU Delft. “It would be great if we are to land on Mars. That would be a huge step for the humanity”.
La Rivière state Wednesday night, just like a hundred other visitors, stretched to a large screen to look at the European space center (ESA) in Noordwijk, the netherlands. On the screen, live updates will be provided from the control room, or luchtvaartleiding – ESA in Darmstadt. “We have been waiting for a while, but it is not yet clear whether the Marslander has arrived.”
Wait is, fortunately, not very. With much admiration, he is looking around to different replicas of space probes or probes that are really in the space have been and now are exhibited at ESA. “This probe is clearly already been into space,” he says, while looking at a huge capsule points. “That you see on the heat shield that has sustained damage when the probe through the atmosphere was going.”
in Addition to various probes depends in the room also a small replica of the International Space station (ISS) on the ceiling, there is a mock Columbus capsule – which, in reality, the ISS station is confirmed – seeing, and a special replica of Schiaparelli.
That last is the Marslander where it is now. With Schiaparelli, Europe can write history by following in the footsteps of the American NASA to go to Mars to countries, For Europe, that would be the first time. A honored mission in 2003 failed, namely in part. Satellite Mars Express, in 2003, in orbit around the earth sent. That was a success, but the explorer, Beagle II, which should land on Mars disappeared from the radar. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen with the Marslander today.”
Almost 500 million miles
A half year ago, left ExoMars from the earth towards Mars. After a journey of nearly 500 million kilometers away came the rocket last Sunday in the vicinity of Mars. From thence ExoMars in two parts: the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the explorer Schiaparelli.
“Schiaparelli is primarily a technology demonstration to show that we are on Mars landing,” says Fred Jansen, senior mission manager at ESA. “After a few days the lander is already out. But there is all kinds of equipment on board to the wind speed, air pressure, temperature and humidity to measure."
TGO is much more important for the scientific research of ESA. This satellite will search for traces of life on Mars. That water and ice is present on the red planet we already knew, but TGO is now going to do research to gases, of which the most important, methane is. “The presence of methane would indicate life,” said Jansen.
The continuation of the ExoMars mission will take place in 2020. It is intended that in that year, a real Marsrover country on the planet. Pietro Baglioni is responsible for this rover, if ExoMars Rover Manager. According to Baglioni is the first mission yet but a preview. “In 2020, the rover two metres in the ground drilling. That is until now never done. There is only research done on the surface of Mars. But if we are in the ground, the drill can we possible traces of life.”
Heart rate
Back in the Marslander Schiaparelli. That would be according to the schedule, around 16:48 hours, Dutch time, landed on Mars, but in Noordwijk they notice there are only a few. “That’s because there is no direct connection,” explains Jansen. Mars Express, which has more than ten years in orbit around Mars turns trying to collect data with respect to the landing of Schiaparelli, just as satellites of other space agencies. Also, NASA is trying, for example, a signal from the explorer to pick up. But according to Jansen, it can take a long time before the first signals to come in.
At half past seven there will be, finally, a positive message within. Still no clarity about the Marslanding, but in any case it is succeeded to the orbiter TGO in orbit around Mars. On a screen in the control room in Darmstadt, is a kind of heart monitor to see, where sudden peaks appear. A sign of life. That mission seems to be so in every case successful. In the room in Noordwijk is folded and gejoeld. In Darmstadt, hugging the scientists each other.
Now that Schiaparelli yet. Would be expected to be around half 9 to be clear whether the landing was successful. But unfortunately. The leader, Michel Denis should disappoint everyone. “Tomorrow we know more.”
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