WHO has recently seen the movie The Martian undoubtedly remember the daring adventures of Mark Watney, astronaut forced to survive on the red planet with a thousand stratagems, waiting to be brought back safely to Earth. One definitely science fiction scenario, but NASA assures that around 2030 a first human crew could go down on the red planet. How long must we wait before we see the first footprint on the Martian surface? If the departure of ExoMars is the “present” Martian exploration, what was the road that brought us here? And most importantly, what we expect in the coming years?
From the telescope to Mars . Mars is definitely the planet that fascinates us most, thanks to the many books and ambientati fiction movie on the red planet. For the ancient red color of this planet was associated with war and destruction, and for this the Greeks and was associated with Ares, god of war, then reinterpreted as Mars by the Romans.
The introduction of the telescope in the seventeenth century, following the work of Galileo Galilei, he enabled astronomers to study Mars with ever greater detail. The observations of Mars, made difficult by the distance and the small size of the planet, they also generated some curious episodes. For example in the second half of the nineteenth century, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli watched the red planet with the 20 cm refractor telescope of the Observatory of Brera in Milan. Schiaparelli observed a series of dark lines on the Martian surface, which I call “channels”. He is almost certainly referring to natural structures, but an incorrect translation in English and French made him think that Schiaparelli had discovered the canals, built by extraterrestrials. From those observations was born a great debate about the possible existence of aliens on Mars, which lasted until the mid-sixties, when the Mariner 4 probe showed for the first time the appearance of Mars seen up close. The images of Mariner showed a barren planet and desert, and it was clear that the canals were optical illusions produced by poor optical quality of the instruments used hitherto. But in the meantime, the myth of the Martians had affected public opinion and science fiction authors, inspiring classics as “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells (1897) and “The Martian Chronicles” by R. Bradbury (1950).
Eyes on Mars . By the probe Mariner 4 NASA, the first to reach Mars in 1965, until the launch of ExoMars, have been many space missions dedicated to the red planet. After a series of successful probes in the sixties, in the two decades following the Mars Exploration focused on the descent to the surface. In 1976 the two Viking probes were the first to submit highly detailed images of the Martian surface. The Nineties have instead seen as the protagonist of the 1996 Pathfinder mission, carrying on board the little rover Sojourner, become a real star after landing on Mars on 4 July 1996. After a “black” period in the late ninety, during which the missions were lost Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter, Mars exploration successfully resumed aA since 2000, with a new series of still operational missions.
Two thousand years see the success of rovers such as Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity, which have made very detailed analysis of Martian soil and posted stunning images of Martian landscapes. And it is thanks to one of these new-generation probes, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which last fall came the announcement by NASA of evidence of liquid water on the planet’s surface. Many are therefore the “eyes” electronic wagered on Mars, which will be added this year Exomars.
Europe returns to Mars . A collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian (Roscosmos), ExoMars is an ambitious mission that will study the Martian environment from different points of view and investigate traces of life on the red planet. ExoMars, whose estimated cost is around EUR 1.2 billion, will be developed in two phases: the first spacecraft launched in 2018 will add a second spacecraft carrying a sophisticated rover for analysis of Martian soil. The launch of ExoMars marks the beginning of a great new adventure for Italy, which plays a very important role in various aspects of the mission. More than twelve years after the launch of Mars Express, the European ExoMars marks the return to Mars, with a scientific and technological program of great importance. One of the key aspects of the mission is in fact to capture and show the ability and European technology to land on Mars and explore the surface with a special rover able to analyze even the underground, take samples and make analysis of “live”. In addition, the mission has a series of very ambitious scientific goals, which range from geochemical characterization of the planet to study the Martian atmosphere, also in preparation for future human missions to Mars. One of the key goals of ExoMars is then the search for traces of life, past and present, among the most “hot topics” in the planetary science studies.
Seven months trip. ExoMars from the base of Baikonur by a Proton rocket provided by the Russian Space Agency, who will also launch in 2018. The first signal from the probe should be acquired on Monday night around 22:30, indicating that the spacecraft is good health and is ready for its journey to Mars. Thanks to a favorable position of Mars compared to Earth, the spacecraft will reach Mars after only seven months of traveling, entering Martian orbit around the middle of October. Three days before entering orbit, the spacecraft will detach the Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM), developed to demonstrate the ability to land a controlled manner on the Martian surface. The EDM module has been christened “Schiaparelli”, in honor of Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli, the Italian astronomer known for his studies of Mars late nineteenth century and to have discovered the famous “canals”. Schiaparelli will enter the Martian atmosphere from an altitude of about 122 kilometers, hurtling at a speed of about 21 thousand kilometers per hour. Schiaparelli then begin to decelerate due to a parachute system and will make further “brake” through a system of small rockets, which will allow a soft landing on the surface of Mars. After being placed on the surface, the module will start a phase of data collection which is expected to last several days. Meanwhile, the orbital module, called Trace Gas Orbital (TGO), will perform several maneuvers to enter the final orbit, which will allow it to study the red planet from an altitude of about 400 kilometers.
The first steps on Mars . In addition to the “second act” of ExoMars, there are several possible missions that could reach Mars in the coming years, as the Indian Mangalyaan 2 or Mars 2020 NASA. One of the most ambitious goals, however, remains the sending of a human crew, a project that requires to overcome several technological challenges, both as regards the journey that the stay on Mars for a certain period of time. NASA has recently announced its intention to take up the challenge, and in this regard is developing the Orion project, which should lead to a system capable of transporting cargo and crew to Mars. The landing on the red planet could occur around 2030, according to some a date too optimistic given the huge technological effort required. Will we really see with our own eyes the first astronauts to the red planet? For now we can keep dreaming Mars, thanks to ExoMars seems closer.
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