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NASA has a lot of experience of landing spacecraft during the major dust storms on Mars and the current one is expected to abate by November.
NASA has a lot of experience landing spacecraft during major dust storms on Mars. shoot down by November
NASA warned that the gigantic dust storm that has enveloped Mars will not hinder the InSight lander when it lands on the red planet this fall. With the storm that is expected to abate by November when the lander reaches Mars, even if the storm were to continue or if a storm were to break out, it should not pose a threat to the vessel. space.
Richard Zurek, the chief scientist from the JPL's Mars Program Office pointed out that the March atmosphere will likely still be covered with a dusty residue this fall, but this fact will not prevent not the landing of InSight, as reported Space . However, this could affect the scientific instruments on board, as the haze could prevent sunlight from touching the undercarriage, which the solar sensor needs to function properly.
NASA has a lot of experience in dealing with dust storms on Mars. Previous missions, with an example being the Mariner 9 spacecraft that landed on the planet in November 1971.
When this spacecraft landed on Mars, it was caught in a dust storm that engulfed the planet during Several weeks. In fact, this storm would have been so intense that no part of the Martian surface has been spared from the dust, with the exception of the peaks of the red planet's volcanoes. And when NASA's Viking mission hit the red planet in 1976, a dust storm the same size as the current planet raged on Mars
The mbadive Mars dust storm will not stop the next NASA Lander: // t .co / ZAiLWS9mRy pic.twitter.com/vNF7GqiOHQ
– SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) July 12, 2018
If the current storm were to continue, however, NASA has a plan for how to safely land the InSight Probe. During dust storms like these, the upper atmosphere of Mars becomes extremely hot, while the lower atmosphere is considerably cooler.
At the beginning of the InSight project, scientists used atmospheric models to become familiar with the different conditions. planet that could potentially affect the landing of the spacecraft. To test things before they land, InSight will use a large parachute so that its descent will be considerably slowed down when entering the Mars atmosphere. Once the probe is closer to the ground, it will deploy retro-rockets.
If the Martian atmosphere is still extremely dusty, the InSight parachute will have to be launched at a much lower altitude than in the Mars skies.
By the time the parachute has been deployed, the probe will undergo a huge reverse jerk, which Rob Grover of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory calls a "pullout force", which relates to the atmospheric density. . As Grove explained, "We can determine how we are going to fly the day of the landing."
Similar to other NASA trips to the red planet, the InSight spacecraft will use the radar during the landing process. Just 10 minutes before the Martian atmosphere is finally reached, scientists on Earth will be informed of its speed and position.
Once he starts his descent, he will use the satellite's built-in inertial measurement unit to help him understand his position relative to Mars, with a radar allowing the spacecraft to know how high it is so that it can land safely. As Grover noted, "We can not land without radar."
If the dust storm finally calmed down and everything goes as planned in November, once NASA's InSight probe lands on Mars, it can explore the interior. of the planet.
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