Astronomers Discuss Mars Exploration In California
Date
7/24/2024 3:12:33 PM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Alimat Aliyeva
Astronomers from all over the world gathered in California this
week to assess the state of Mars science and discuss the goals of
the next steps in exploring the Red Planet,
Azernews reports.
The first issue is the creation of an International Scientific
Fleet on Mars. Currently, nine spacecraft are operating on the Red
Planet, two of them are ground-based and seven are orbital. NASA's
fleet includes the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, MAVEN, the
Mars Reconnaissance orbiter and the Mars Odyssey orbiter. ESA
(European Space Agency) operates the Mars Express and ExoMars Trace
Gas Orbiter. Both China and the United Arab Emirates also have
spacecraft exploring Mars from orbit.
The second topic of discussion is the discovery of a mysterious
methane wave on the Red Planet. In June 2019, NASA's Curiosity
probe made an amazing discovery: the largest amount of methane ever
measured during a mission. Astronomers continue to study this.
The third problem is the flow of water and the earthquake that
occurred on Mars last year. A team of astronomers is already
expanding seismological research on the Red Planet. At the same
time, the first images of the deep parts of the planet were
obtained. Melting of the surface layers was also recorded here as
part of NASA's InSight program.
In October 2022, when cameras aboard the Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter spotted a new crater from space surrounded by boulder-sized
chunks of ice, NASA's InSight system felt the Earth shake during
impact. Astronomers have also recorded this amazing meteorite
impact on Mars.
The California debate also marked the end of NASA's Opportunity
rover mission, one of the most successful and longest-running
interplanetary exploration attempts, after 15 years of exploring
the surface of Mars and helping prepare the ground for NASA's
return to the Red Planet. During these studies, powerful dust
storms were detected on Mars and on Earth.
Finally, NASA has mapped water ice on Mars for use by
astronauts. This mapping product can help you decide where the
first astronauts will land on the Red Planet. In addition, images
of the Martian research orbiter used to create a massive
interactive globe of Mars were also presented. These materials
include a new mosaic of craters and impact craters on the Red
Planet.
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