Mars rover landing

by Xan Jordan

This February many important space accomplishments will be explicitly made regarding Mars. In fact, three different Mars explorations are happening- and all of them in February. CNN stated that NASA’s Perseverance, the United Arab Emirates's (UAE) Hope probe, and China's Tianwen-1 will all arrive in February. All of these missions took advantage of a special alignment between Earth and Mars which makes the trip to mars easier and shorter. Because of this, the NASA rover should arrive on the 18th, the Chinese probe on the 10th, and the UAE's probe on February 9th.

The UAE's Hope probe (known as the Al-Amal in its mother tongue) will be the first Arab mars mission in history. It launched from Japan last summer. The probe will reach Mars’s orbit on the 9th. The Hope probe will stay in orbit for a full Martian year, about 687 Earth days. The UAE space agency explains that the probe will gather data about the Red planet’s atmosphere, particularly about the pattern of oxygen and hydrogen in the atmosphere throughout the year. This will be important to understanding how pressure and climate work on Mars and give us a better understanding of how and why chemicals and pressure change in the atmosphere.

The Tianwen-1, China's rover like the others was launched last summer and will enter Mars's orbit on the 10th. However, the rover will not touch down on Mars until May. This rover will play a critical role in what we know about Mars. Once it lands, the Rover will search for groundwater,- possibly letting us know if there is or was life on Mars. Scientists already know there used to be water on Mars but because they only have satellite images, we will not actually know until the rover lands and gathers more information. The mission is hoping to find water underground, meaning it’s protected from the harsh Martian atmosphere, providing clues and even samples about life on Mars.

Finally, the last to arrive, on the 18th, will be NASA's rover, Perseverance. CNN writes that this rover is equipped with cameras, and microphones giving the craft the ability to record its landing, meaning scientists should have the recording within a few weeks after. What makes the Perseverance special is that tucked underneath the craft is Ingenuity, a helicopter that will hopefully have the ability to fly on the planet. The rover, once on the planet, will find a safe, and flat location to safely begin testing the helicopter and then will observe it. During its two-year stay, the rover will also look for signs of ancient life and gather information about the geography and samples of Mars.

Junior Claire Ingram, notes how she is excited, not so much for the Mars landings themselves, but more for the scientific growth. She notes that “the fact that we are able to go to Mars and carry out the missions is great and very important for scientific evolution”.

This February will ultimately be an important month for space exploration and discovery. Many firsts will be made both in the scientific and global community. The explorations will hopefully allow us to learn more about both the history and functionality of Mars.