The Hope Probe begins its two-year scientific mission to explore Mars

The Emirates Mars Exploration Project "Probe of Hope" announced today that the necessary preparations have been completed to start the scientific mission of the probe, after conducting the necessary tests to ensure the accuracy and safety of the scientific equipment it carries on board, which has proven that the performance of these devices exceeds expectations.

And the scientific mission of the Hope Probe has officially started today and will continue for two years, with the aim of obtaining the first complete picture of the various layers of the Martian atmosphere during the day and night and all the seasons of the Martian year that are equivalent to two Earth years.

Mission accomplished successfully

The director of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, the Hope Probe, Eng. Omran Sharaf, said: “After the successful flight to Mars, and the near-perfect maneuver to enter the planet's orbit last February, and we later moved from the orbit to capture the Hope probe to the scientific orbit, we completed the calibration and testing phase .. I am glad to announce that the probe Hope is ideally placed to start his two-year scientific mission. "

He added that the start of the scientific mission of the probe culminates in years of hard work and dedication to the UAE project team to explore Mars from young national cadres in partnership and cooperation with international partners for this ambitious project, which is a qualitative contribution from the UAE in the scientific progress of humanity as it will provide unprecedented information about the Red Planet.

Comprehensive image of Mars' climate

For her part, Deputy Director of the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, "The Hope Probe" for scientific affairs, Hessa Al-Matroushi explained that with the start of the scientific stage of the Hope Probe, the scientific equipment it carries on board will work to provide a clear and comprehensive picture of the climate of Mars at all times throughout the whole Martian year. This information that the UAE will share with the global scientific community free of charge will help scientists and researchers reach a deeper scientific understanding of the processes taking place inside the Martian atmosphere, especially with regard to the disappearance of the oxygen and hydrogen gases, which are the main constituents of water, which may help explain many phenomena. Scientific associated with this planet.

Activating scientific devices

The three scientific devices carried by the probe were successfully activated on April 10, that is, before the predetermined date, to be followed by the calibration and testing phase, and the project team found during the calibration and testing processes that the performance and accuracy of these devices exceeded expectations so far.

The "Hope Probe" carries three scientific devices: the EXI digital camera and a digital camera to capture high-resolution color images of the planet Mars, also used to measure ice and ozone in the lower layer of the atmosphere, and the EMIRS Infrared Spectrometer, which measures the temperature and distribution of dust and water vapor. And ice clouds in the lower layer of the red planet's atmosphere, in addition to the EMUS ultraviolet spectroscopy, which measures oxygen and carbon monoxide in the Martian thermal layer and hydrogen and oxygen in the outer atmosphere of Mars.

The EXI digital exploration camera carried by the probe has taken more than 500 images of Mars since the probe moved to the scientific orbit in early April 2021, and the camera will now focus on mapping the clouds of icy water in the Martian atmosphere as the red planet enters the "cloudy season" during the current period. And, in the shadow of the spring and summer seasons in the northern half of Mars, a belt of clouds forms near the equator, and the "Hope Probe" will have a unique view of these clouds through its distinguished location and its ability to monitor the changing dynamics of the atmosphere during the daily and seasonal cycles.

As for the EMIRS infrared spectrometer, since the entry of the "Probe of Hope" into the orbit of Mars, the scale on board the probe has collected illustrative scientific data, calibrated the scale correctly, in addition to processing the data collected routinely and periodically.

In total, the scale has collected more than 130,000 spectral images since its arrival on Mars, and has provided the team with more than 40 pre-planned explanatory scientific observations, covering a large portion of the day on Mars.

This scale will monitor Mars through infrared beams, surface temperature, temperature in the atmosphere, and measure the optical depth of dust and ice clouds and the abundance of water vapor in the atmosphere, over the course of Mars day, and on semi-seasonal time scales.

This data, along with that of a UV spectrophotometer and a digital exploration camera, will provide an unprecedented detailed look at the climate of Mars and explain the processes of the decaying red planet's atmosphere.

As for the EMUS ultraviolet spectrometer, since the arrival of the "Probe of Hope" in the orbit of Mars, it has been able to collect important scientific data, represented in about 14,000 spatial spectral images of the atmosphere, equivalent to 1.6 million individual spectra .. The initial operation of four showed Different types of scientific operations by this device, it works perfectly and accurately tracks the targets in its field of vision.

The scale will continue to collect these scientific observations throughout the scientific stage to help in understanding the composition and structure of the upper atmosphere of Mars and the changes that occur to it during the different seasons.

Hope probe.

The Hope probe is currently rotating in its planned scientific orbit around Mars between 19,974 to 42,651 kilometers, and at an angle of 25 degrees .. The probe will complete one orbit around the planet every 55 hours, and it will record a complete sample of data about the planet every nine days.

The "Hope Probe" weighs about 1,350 kilograms and swallows roughly the size of a small SUV. It was designed and developed by the engineers of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center who work with international academic partners, including the Atmospheric and Space Physics Laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder, Arizona State University and the University of California In Berkeley.

The probe aims to convey a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere and the relationship between its upper and lower layers, and for the first time, scientists around the world will be able to obtain a comprehensive and complete view of the Martian atmosphere at different times of the day, and across the different seasons of the planet.

The historic Al-Amal probe journey to the Red Planet coincides with the UAE's celebration of its golden jubilee.

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