Washington, Feb. 4, NASA, in collaboration with three international partners, plans to launch a Mars ice robot …
Washington, Feb. 4, NASA, in collaboration with three international partners, plans to launch a robotic Mars ice mapping mission, which could help the group identify science goals that potentially for original human missions to Mars.
It could help identify abundant, accessible ice for future candidate sites on the Red Planet.
The organizations have agreed to set up a joint concept team to assess mission capability, as well as partnership opportunities, NASA said Wednesday.
Under their signed mission statement, NASA, the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced their intention to develop a mission plan and explain their possible roles and responsibilities.
If the concept moves forward, the mission could be ready for launch as early as 2026, NASA said.
Mars International Ice Mapper’s international mission would be to find the location, depth, extent and abundance of near-surface ice deposits, which would allow the science community to explain Mars volatile history in more detail.
The radar-carrying orbiter would also help identify the properties of the dust, scattered rocky material called regolith and rock layers that could affect the ability to get to ice.
The ice mapping trip could help the group identify potential science goals for original human missions to Mars, which are expected to be planned for about 30 days of surface exploration.
For example, identifying and marking accessible water ice could lead to human-prone science, such as ice coring to support life-finding.
Mars Ice Mapper could also provide a map of water ice resources for later human missions with longer surface cycles, as well as help meet exploration engineering constraints, such as avoiding rock hazards. is land.
Shaping shallow water ice mapping could support additional high-value science goals related to Martian climate and geology, NASA said.
“This innovative partnership model for Mars Ice Mapper combines our global expertise and allows cost sharing across the board to make this mission more achievable for all interested parties,” Jim Watzin, NASA ‘s senior consultant for group architecture and mission alignment, said in a statement.
“Human and robotic study go hand in hand, with the latter helping to pave the way for softer and safer human missions further into the solar system. Together, we can help prepare humanity for our next big leap of the first human mission to Mars. “
As the concept of the mission changes, there may be opportunities for other space agencies and commercial partners to join the mission.
(By submission from IANS)
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