Zero distance experts explain in detail the fire detection plans of various countries-
"Fire detection" circle of friends is expanding
Schematic diagram of Mars exploration missions in the United States, Argentina and China in 2020. Photo courtesy of China National Space Administration
Almost fore and aft. In the early morning of July 20, the UAE "Hope" Mars probe was successfully launched. Three days later, the Tianwen-1 Mars probe from China successfully flew into the northeast coast of Hainan Island. In a few days, the US "Perseverance" probe will also head to Mars.
This summer, it is a foregone conclusion that the probes will "get together" and run towards Mars. Although there were basically human probes flying to Mars during the previous Mars window, the three countries coincidentally chose to "run the fire" in the same window from late July to early August this year, which still attracted a lot of attention. Why is Mars so "fire" this year, and what are the characteristics of Mars exploration in various countries?
Geng Yan, director of the General Department of Deep Space Exploration of the China National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, said in an interview with a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that since 2020 is the window period for the Earth to launch a Mars probe, the United States, China, The three countries in the UAE will perform exploration missions in Mars surface sampling, regional patrol exploration, and thermal atmospheric measurement, so as to provide important support for research on the origin and evolution of life, and the exploration of new human homes.
"Although the United States, China, and Algeria will all perform Mars exploration missions in the summer of 2020, due to differences in technology, project schedules, and scientific research priorities, there are certain differences in the implementation of exploration missions among countries." Geng Yan said.
Work site before the launch of China's first Mars rover. Photo courtesy of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
United States: Preparing for the "fire"
As early as August 6, 2012, shortly after the "Curiosity" rover successfully landed on Mars, NASA's new-generation rover project was officially established. This is "Mars 2020"-the American "Perseverance" rover exploration task.
According to the Mars rover development expert of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the "Perseverance" rover that the United States plans to launch in 2020 is an improvement on the basis of the previous successful "Curiosity" rover.
Compared with Curiosity, which focuses on analyzing the composition of Martian soil and rocks, Perseverance focuses on finding traces of life. Experts from the Eighth Academy said that the rover is equipped with the latest robotic arms, as well as scientific instruments such as the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer and the Mars Subsurface Radar Imaging Experimenter. It can not only provide high-resolution 3D Martian pictures, but also preserve rock and soil samples. And bring it back to Earth in the future.
In addition, some public opinion believes that, as the world's most advanced country in Mars exploration technology, the US exploration mission is also laying the foundation for the next manned landing. For example, the "Perseverance" carried a Mars oxygen element in-situ resource utilization experiment instrument to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen; the US private sky exploration company "SpaceX" also plans to launch the "Red Dragon" Mars lander to Mars. Humans will migrate to Mars in the future to make basic preparations.
Experts from the Eighth Academy told reporters that one of the highlights of the Perseverance is that it is equipped with a Martian helicopter. This helicopter can greatly expand the detection range of Perseverance, flying a maximum distance of about 600 meters per day. This will be the first time in human history that a winged aircraft will be sent to other planets. We must know that the first Martian rover "Sojourner" crawled about 100 meters in dozens of days of work, and the daily mileage of this "Mars helicopter" is several times that of it.
China: "Walk around" at one time
As for my country's first Mars exploration mission, Tianwen-1, Geng said that the mission probe consists of a landing patrol (entry module and a Mars rover) and orbiters. The purpose of this exploration is to achieve a three-step "round tour" at a time, that is, to be able to conduct global observations of the entire Mars, successfully land on Mars, and conduct inspections and surveys by the rover.
"This is the first time that other countries have implemented a Mars exploration mission that has never been achieved. It is facing unprecedented technical challenges and is a huge technological leapfrog." Geng Yan said.
Specifically, the Tianwen-1 probe was successfully launched in Wenchang, Hainan on July 23. After about 7 months of flight, it finally reached Mars. After the rover arrives on Mars, the landing patrol will choose the opportunity to separate and land on the surface of Mars for exploration. The orbiter will circle Mars and take pictures of Mars to obtain topographic features, soil composition, and ground water ice.
Geng Yan said that as the highlight of China’s first autonomous Mars exploration, the Mars Orbiter will not only overcome key technical difficulties such as Mars braking capture and long-term autonomous management, but also achieve ultra-long-distance measurement and control communication between ground and fire. Big!"
According to him, China’s Mars Orbiter will carry 7 scientific instruments, which are medium-resolution cameras used to obtain global remote sensing image maps of Mars, and high-resolution cameras used to image landing areas and areas of high scientific value. The subsurface radar for the detection of the subsurface structure of Mars and the ice in polar regions, the mineral spectrum analyzer for detecting the types, contents and spatial distribution of minerals on the surface of Mars, and the magnetometer for detecting the space magnetic environment of Mars. An ion and neutral particle analyzer for measuring the energy, flux and composition of the solar wind and Martian space ions and neutral particles, and the energy used to obtain the energy spectrum flux and element composition data of the energetic particles in the Martian space environment Particle analyzer.
"Our scientific goal is to achieve scientific exploration of Mars' surface morphology, soil properties, material composition, water ice, atmosphere, ionosphere, magnetic field, etc., so as to help establish a comprehensive and basic understanding of Mars." Geng Yan said.
Work site before the launch of China's first Mars rover. Photo courtesy of the First Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
UAE: "Big Plan" Behind Surround Detection
Compared with China and the United States, the "Nozomi" Mars rover planned by the UAE does not have a "fall fire" plan. The rover uses the method of orbiting Mars to study the Martian atmosphere and environment.
According to the Mars probe development expert of the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the "Hope" will study the interaction between the lower and upper atmospheres of Mars with the aid of the loaded instruments, and search for the connection between today's Martian weather and the ancient Martian climate. .
It is worth mentioning that the UAE has relatively ambitious “ambitions” in deep space exploration-after the UAE successfully sent its first astronaut into space last year, the country also plans to invest US$136 million to build a replica Martian environment on Earth The "Mars City" in the United States provides support for studying Martian life. In addition, the "Mars City" is also part of the UAE's "2117 Mars Strategy". The country hopes to establish human settlements on Mars by 2117.
However, the current "Hope" mission to Mars is still being deployed by the UAE Space Agency, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and other global space agencies, and its mission is also relatively specific, targeting the Martian atmosphere.
Experts from the Eighth Academy of Mars probes told reporters that the "Hope" will conduct a four-year survey mission to orbit Mars, comprehensively explore the Martian atmosphere, study Martian climate and low-altitude weather changes, carry out sand and dust storm forecasts, and map detailed Martian topography and atmospheric changes. Become "the first real Martian meteorological satellite".
In the future, more countries may join the "fire detection" circle of friends
According to Geng Yan's analysis, in addition to the three countries of China, the United States, and Algeria, although the European Union, Russia, and India did not have a clear plan for Mars exploration this year, they already have a certain technical foundation or project support. In general, with the successive launch of the three “fire detection” projects in 2020, relevant countries will continue to increase investment in deep space exploration projects represented by Mars, so as to increase investment in this “extraterrestrial resource” Have an advantage in the unknown.
For example, the European Union and Russia originally planned to carry out the "ExoMars2020" mission this year. The probe is composed of Europe's first Mars rover "Rosalind Franklin" and the Russian "Cossacks" Mars surface platform to assess the geological landscape of Mars and its microcosms. Composition, and try to dig out the life elements buried under the surface of Mars.
However, due to the risks of the Russian parachute system and the European flight software, the plan was eventually postponed until 2022. In this regard, the official joint statement of the two countries stated that the general deterioration of the epidemic in European countries has affected the final stage of ExoMars development. Geng Yan said that, given that the two parties have been cooperating since 2016, and the technology accumulation is relatively sufficient, they will have a certain degree of competitiveness in the field of deep space exploration in the future.
Another thing worth mentioning is India. As early as 2013, India launched the first Mars rover "Mangalian" and successfully entered the Martian orbit, sending pictures and data back to Earth. In the eyes of many domestic aerospace experts, it "reflects India's aerospace Field strength".
The 2020 target announced by the Indian Space Research Organization shows that India has no related projects for Mars exploration. Some analysts believe that this situation is due to the fact that India has successfully conducted Mars exploration before, and on the other hand, it is due to the fact that India has a solar exploration plan for this year’s key mission, which has a higher starting point and greater technical difficulty. It has greatly improved India's international status, so more resources will be tilted toward the sun exploration project.
Geng Yan told reporters that aside from the Mars exploration plan determined to be implemented in 2020, because the European Union, Russia, India and other regions or countries also have the technology to detect Mars, and some projects are already in preparation, there may be more in the future. Many countries have joined the "circle of friends" of "fire detection".
China Youth Daily · China Youth Daily reporter Qiu Chenhui Source: China Youth Daily