Young YOU: news of the week
SCIENTISTS have long been interested in finding out more about the planet Mars. In July 1965 the first spacecraft to Mars, Mariner 4, belonging to the America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), successfully flew past Mars. In November 1971, Mariner 9 reached Mars’ orbit. Nasa’s Viking 1 lander was the first US spacecraft to touch down on another planet – in June 1976.
The goal now is to send astronauts to explore Mars – also known as the Red Planet because of the colour of its soil. But before people can go to Mars, we need to know much more about the planet. Scientists need to find out what risks are involved for humans and how feasible it would be to live on Mars.
In July 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States and
China all sent spacecraft to Mars. The spacecraft took seven months to reach the planet, arriving in February this year. Why Mars? S Water and methane gas have been found on the planet, both of which can help to sustain (see Word of the Week) life. These are also clues that there may be life on Mars, which got space scientists wondering whether humans might also able to live on the Red Planet one day.
S The planet is located in what’s called the “Goldilocks Zone”, which means it’s close enough to the Sun to be able to support life – not so hot that any life just shrivels up or so cold that there’s not enough energy for life forms to survive. S The gravity on Mars is 38% of Earth’s, which scientists believe is enough for humans to be able to adapt to it.
Three different types of robotic spacecraft have been invented to gather information during missions to Mars.
S Orbiters fly around (orbit) the planet, gathering information on the weather and what the surface of the planet looks like. They also send messages and feedback to scientists on Earth about any experiments carried out on Mars. The UAE was the first Arab country to reach the planet in February, with an orbiter named Hope.
S Landers are spacecraft equipped with robotic arms and can land on the surface of a planet or moon. When landers touch down, they can put instruments in the ground to do experiments and test the planet’s soil and surface. S Rovers are wheeled robotic utility vehicles that can slowly move around on the surface of Mars. They’re equipped with cameras to take pictures and perform a variety of geological (studying the planet’s structure) and chemical tests. China’s mission to Mars this year was called Tianwen-1 and consisted of an orbiter and a rover spacecraft for studying the planet. The USA sent a rover named Perseverance. How do space scientists gather information?