Mars Paper

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American Military University *

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Astronomy

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 Mars: Mission Plans, Exploration and More Reiley Bradbury American Military University SPST203 Dr. Rebekah Purvis November 10, 2023

2 Another Earth? Where do we come from? What is life? Are we alone in the Universe? Without a doubt, these are the biggest questions surrounding astronomy, and there is one planet that has really caught the attention of scientists everywhere-Mars. John Noble Wilford once said this: “Mars tugs at the human imagination like no other planet. With a force mightier than gravity, it attracts the eye to the shimmering red presence in the clear night sky.” The Red Planet, Mars, has been a hot subject of space for decades. Aside from the moon, astronomers have been very hopeful that we can one day inhabit the Red Planet, and it is believed among many scientists that this other Earth-like world has already been inhabited in the distant past. So, what is so appealing about Mars? There are many reasons why scientists have zeroed in on it over the years. We will explore all these reasons, as well as the Mars rovers that have left their tracks in the Martian soil, how the moon will act as a steppingstone towards human exploration of Mars in the future, and how the International Space Station has also been beneficial for the exploration of Mars. Why Mars? What’s The Appeal? There are several reasons why Mars has been a focus of exploration. For one, it is the only other planet besides Earth that is in the habitability zone, which means it could serve as a destination for human survival in the distant future, should that become a reality. Another reason is that scientists believe it has hosted life before, due to evidence of terrestrial extremophilic microbes (a fancy term for bacteria), organic material and ancient water (Horneck, 2008). Touching on its similarities to Earth, the length of a day on Mars is extremely close to that of Earth. The length of a day on Earth is 24 hours and one Mars day, or sol, is approximately 24 hours and 37 minutes. Additionally, the axis tilt and rotation velocity are similar on both planets ,

3 they both experience four seasons and have a lot of the same geological structures, as well as similar revolutions around the sun. Earth orbits the sun at 30 km/s and Mars follows closely with an orbit of 24 km/s (Pezzella; Viviani, 2020). These are many of the reasons why Mars has caught the eyes of astronomers, but what are the motives for exploring it further? Well, the human desire for expanding habitability to other worlds is a driving force and Mars seems like a potentially perfect place to do that (Horneck, 2008). Establishing a human presence on this spacecraft graveyard will not only open the doors to even deeper space travel, but it will also improve the way crews are able to cope with being in isolation and confinement for long periods of time in the spacecraft and other extraterrestrial environments (Horneck, 2008). Additionally, it is possible that completing a crewed mission to Mars will be beneficial to scientists by teaching them more about how deep space affects human health, such as how to better protect against radiation, and how gravity affects the human body on a space mission. From a technological standpoint, once humans are established on the Red Planet, a need for more advanced technology and sensors will arise, namely bio diagnostics, medical treatments, environmental monitoring devices etc. Thus, helping improve deep space technology in the long run that is useful for future missions (Horneck, 2008). Keeping a cultural element in mind, Mars has the potential to peaceably bring space agencies in all countries together to achieve future space endeavors (Horneck, 2008). Aside from the USA, this would include Russia (ROSCOSMOS), China (CNSA), Japan (JAXA), Europe (ESA) and Canada (CSA). What’s more, since Mars is believed to have once had a similar climate to Earth, it could be a great environment for using modern engineering techniques (Horneck, 2008). Exploring Mars will give us great insight to help us learn more about our home planet in the long run (NASA, n.d.).

4 Of course, there are some drawbacks and concerns to creating a human presence on Mars. This includes the threat of Martian bacteria and the risk of carrying them back to Earth, and conversely, the possibility of bringing Earthly microbes to Mars with the potential to harm the Red Planet. To avoid this and ensure the protection of Mars, missions would be closely monitored by the Committee on Space Research, or COSPAR. Additionally, for extra precaution, certain areas are labeled as “special regions” on Mars that have the potential to contain existing bacteria and other life forms (Horneck, 2008). However, before any of the above can take place, there will need to be several robotic missions to Mars before humans. But once we get there, only humans will be able to perform in-situ inspections, sample analyses, remote-controlled on- site activities and more (Horneck, 2008). Going back to the Martian and earthly microbes and the risks involved in accidentally transporting them back and forth-this is a big reason why robotic missions are crucial to precede-to carry out important exploration and research of possible Martian lifeforms. This is exactly what our beloved Mars rovers have been doing for the last couple decades. The Rovers In efforts to investigate the previously unexplored planet, NASA has sent five rovers to Mars, beginning with Sojourner, during the Mars Pathfinder Mission, launched in 1996. This lander/rover was succeeded by Spirit and her twin, Opportunity in 2003, followed by Curiosity in 2012 and Perseverance in 2021 (NASA, n.d.). Sojourner made history by being the first rover on another planet and spent 83 days on Mars exploring, taking pictures and collecting chemical and atmospheric measurements (NASA, n.d.).

5 The sisters, Spirit and Opportunity, were sent to Mars and commissioned to find evidence of water and study the history of the Mars climate. They were launched a month apart in 2003 and their main objectives were to collect samples of rock and soil that may have contained evidence of pre-existent water (NASA, n.d. 2023). They were each sent to areas on Mars, on opposite sides, that are suspected to have contained water. Spirit landed on Mars nestled in four giant airbags carried by a parachute. She bounced exactly 28 times before eventually rolling to a stop no further than 980 feet away from the initial point of impact. During Spirit’s mission, NASA collected loads of information, but ran into several obstacles with use of the rover for years, before deciding to end contact with her in 2011. Opportunity faced slightly more severe conditions during her mission and was presented with a challenge that left the solar panels, responsible for powering the rover, covered in dust during a dust storm. This prevented the rover from functioning at full capacity, but luckily wind blew the dust off the panels and the rover was back in business (NASA, n.d.). Opportunity’s mission was completed on February 13, 2019 (NASA, n.d.). Curiosity came in second to last and according to NASA, she is the about as tall as a basketball player and has a seven-foot arm useful for conducting studies, which makes her the largest and most capable rover ever built by NASA. Curiosity was launched on November 26, 2011, and landed on the Red Planet on August 5, 2012. Her main objectives were to explore and study the Gale Crater on Mars by collecting rock, soil and air samples with the help of cameras, spectrometers, radiation detectors, and environmental and atmospheric sensors (NASA, n.d.). The latest rover to leave her tracks in the Martin soil is Perseverance. NASA launched Perseverance on July 30, 2020, and since her arrival on Mars on February 18, 2021, she has been on the search for areas with the potential for past life, collecting core and rock samples, and

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