Perseverance (Mars 2020 rover) - Atlas V 541 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 30.07.2020

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https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasas-perseverance-rover-will-carry-first-spacesuit-materials-to-mars

July 28, 2020

NASA's Perseverance Rover Will Carry First Spacesuit Materials to Mars


Advanced spacesuit designer Amy Ross of NASA's Johnson Space Center stands with the Z-2, a prototype spacesuit.
Credits: NASA

In a Q&A, spacesuit designer Amy Ross explains how five samples, including a piece of helmet visor, will be tested aboard the rover, which is targeting a July 30 launch.

NASA is preparing to send the first woman and next man to the Moon, part of a larger strategy to send the first astronauts to the surface of Mars. But before they get there, they'll be faced with a critical question: What should they wear on Mars, where the thin atmosphere allows more radiation from the Sun and cosmic rays to reach the ground?

Amy Ross is looking for answers. An advanced spacesuit designer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, she's developing new suits for the Moon and Mars. So Ross is eagerly awaiting this summer's launch of the Perseverance Mars rover, which will carry the first samples of spacesuit material ever sent to the Red Planet.

While the rover explores Jezero Crater, collecting rock and soil samples for future return to Earth, five small pieces of spacesuit material will be studied by an instrument aboard Perseverance called SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals). The materials, including a piece of helmet visor, are embedded alongside a fragment of a Martian meteorite in SHERLOC's calibration target. That's what scientists use to make sure an instrument's settings are correct, comparing readings on Mars to base-level readings they got on Earth.

Read on as Ross shares insights into the materials chosen and the differences between suits designed for the Moon and those for Mars. More information about SHERLOC and the rover's science can be found here.


This graphic shows an illustration of a prototype astronaut suit, left, along with suit samples included in the calibration target, lower right, belonging to the SHERLOC instrument aboard the Perseverance rover. They'll be observed to see how they hold up in the intense radiation of the Martian surface.
Credits: NASA

Why were these particular materials on SHERLOC's calibration target selected?

Ross: The materials we're poking at the most are meant to be on the outer layer of a suit, since these will be exposed to the most radiation. There's ortho-fabric, something we have a lot of experience using on the outside of spacesuits. That's three materials in one: It includes Nomex, a flame-resistant material found in firefighter outfits; Gore-Tex, which is waterproof but breathable; and Kevlar, which has been used in bulletproof vests.

We are also testing a sample of Vectran on its own, which we currently use for the palms of spacesuit gloves. It's cut-resistant, which is useful on the International Space Station: Micrometeoroids strike handrails outside the station, creating pits with sharp edges that can cut gloves.

We included a sample of Teflon, which we've used in spacesuits for a long time as part of astronaut glove gauntlets and the backs of gloves. Just like a nonstick pan, it's slippery, and it's harder to catch and tear a fabric if it's slick. We also included a sample of Teflon with a dust-resistant coating.

Finally, there's a piece of polycarbonate, which we use for helmet bubbles and visors because it helps reduce ultraviolet light. A nice thing about it is it doesn't shatter. If impacted, it bends rather than breaks and still has good optical properties.

How will SHERLOC check the samples?

Ross: On Mars, radiation will break down the chemical composition of the materials, weakening their tensile strength. We want to figure out how long these materials will last. Do we need to develop new materials, or will these hang in there?

SHERLOC can get the spectra, or composition, of rocks the mission's scientists want to study. It can do the same thing for these spacesuit materials. We've already tested them on Earth, bathing samples in radiation and then analyzing their spectra. The results of those tests, conducted in ultraviolet vacuum chambers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, will be compared to what we see on Mars.

Will Martian dust be a challenge?

Ross: Sure, it's an engineering challenge, but there's no reason we can't design things to operate in dust. We're already developing things like seals that keep dust out of our bearings. Spacesuits have bearings at the shoulders, wrists, hip, upper thighs, and ankles. They all give an astronaut mobility for walking, kneeling, and other movements you'd need to get up close to rocks or maintain a habitat.

Remember, our suits inflate to over 4 pounds per square inch of pressure. That's not a crazy amount of pressure, but it's pretty stiff. When you put a human inside a balloon and ask them to move, they'll have trouble. It's as tight as the head of a drum. So we need to seal off the bearings so dust doesn't gunk them up.

We are looking for other ways to protect the suit from Martian dust over a long-duration mission. We know that a coated or film material will be better than a woven material that has space between the woven yarns. The two Teflon samples let us look at that as well as the performance of the dust-resistant coating.

How much would spacesuit design differ between the space station, the Moon, and Mars?

Ross: Spacesuit design depends on where you're going and what you're doing. The ISS suit is designed specifically for microgravity. If you go on a spacewalk, you're not really walking; you use your hands everywhere. Your lower torso is just used as a stable platform for your upper body. The suit is also exposed to two environmental sources of degradation: solar radiation and atomic oxygen. Atomic oxygen is different from the oxygen we breathe. It's very reactive and can degrade spacesuit materials.

The Moon doesn't have the atomic oxygen problem but is worse than Mars in terms of radiation. You're pretty close to the Sun and have no atmosphere to scatter the ultraviolet radiation like you do on Mars. The Moon is a big testbed for the Artemis program. The environments of the Moon and Mars aren't exactly the same, but the durability challenges – materials exposed over long periods of time at low pressures in a dusty environment – are similar.

On Mars, you're farther from the Sun, and you have at least a little atmosphere to scatter the UV. But that's when the duration of exposure starts to get you. You have to plan on being exposed on the surface most of the time. Mars spacesuits will be more like ones we use for the Moon and less like those for the ISS. I'm trying to make the Moon suit as much like the Mars suit as possible.

More About the Mission

Perseverance is a robotic scientist that weighs just under 2,300 pounds (1,043 kilograms). The rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of past microbial life. It will characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. No matter what day Perseverance launches during its July 30-Aug. 15 launch window, it will land at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.

A division of Caltech, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans.

2020-149

Last Updated: July 28, 2020
Editor: Tony Greicius

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А не попадался кому-нибудь отлётный state vector на этот Марс-твони-твони?

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Jul 29, 2020 00:40

Rollout Photo Gallery

Photos of the Atlas V rocket rolling out to the launch pad earlier today have been added to our Flickr album for Mars 2020.


Photo by United Launch Alliance

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Прогноз погоды L-1 на 30 июля 2020 г. (UTC)

Atlas V MARS2020 L-1 Weather Forecast

Пусковой день          (30.07) - = 80 % GO
1-й Резервный день (31.07) - = 90 % GO
2-й Резервный день (01.08) - = 80 % GO

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/2020/07/29/bridenstine-leads-briefing-today-on-eve-of-perseverance-launch/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/07/29/bridenstine-leads-briefing-today-on-eve-of-perseverance-launch/

Bridenstine Leads Briefing Today on Eve of Perseverance Launch

James Cawley
Posted Jul 29, 2020 at 9:58 am


NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine attends the rollout of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket, carrying NASA's Mars Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, as it rolls along to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 28, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will conduct a briefing today at noon at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in advance of Thursday's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch.

Also participating in the briefing are: NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard, Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro and NASA astronaut Zena Cardman. The event, scheduled for one hour, will be held outdoors, near NASA's historic countdown clock. It can be viewed on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The rover is scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket on Thursday, July 30, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is managing the launch.

Arriving on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, Perseverance will search for signs of past microbial life and help scientists better understand the geology and climate of Mars. The mission is part of America's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

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Началась трансляция "Mars 2020 NASA Administrator and Center Director briefing" - youtu.be/21X5lGlDOfg

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ULA @ulalaunch 1 ч. назад

Wondering when and where you may see the #AtlasV launch of Mars 2020? This visibility map shows when and where your best chances are to see the rocket in the Southeastern U.S.! Launch is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7:50amEDT from Cape Canaveral. #CountdownToMars

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What's the Status of our Perseverance Rover Launch to Mars?

 NASA

Трансляция началась 36 минуты назад

youtu.be/lR4hWlL_LYI

(35:10)

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Jul 29, 2020 21:05

Live Launch Coverage Begins Tonight!

Join us starting in the overnight hours for live reports throughout the countdown to the Atlas V launch of Mars 2020. Our updates from the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center will begin on this page at 12:15 a.m. EDT (0415 UTC), just prior to starting the countdown.

Liftoff of the Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida is scheduled for 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC) at the opening of a two-hour window.

And be sure to monitor the countdown because you could win a ULA swag package! We will be playing trivia on Twitter, and the first correct answer tweeted as a reply to each question will earn some swag!


Photo by United Launch Alliance

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/mars2020/2020/07/29/nasa-administrator-exceptionally-excited-for-mars-bound-mission/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/07/29/nasa-administrator-exceptionally-excited-for-mars-bound-mission/

NASA Administrator 'Exceptionally Excited' for Mars-Bound Mission

James Cawley
Posted Jul 29, 2020 at 5:08 pm


NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, far left, conducts a briefing at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 29, 2020, in advance of the launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover scheduled for July 30. Joining him, from left are Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, partially hidden, and NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard. Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

By Jim Cawley
NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Bursts of Florida afternoon rain showers could not dampen the spirts of NASA leaders on the eve of a much-anticipated mission to Mars.

"I'm exceptionally excited about what we're about to do because we're going to launch Mars 2020 with the Perseverance robot," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during Wednesday's briefing at the agency's Kennedy Space Center. "But there is so much more going on here. This is the first time in history where we're going to Mars with an explicit mission to find life on another world — ancient life on Mars."

The briefing was held outdoors near the Florida spaceport's iconic countdown clock. A temporary structure installed on the Press Site lawn shielded participants and limited media from the typical Sunshine State summer downpour.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is scheduled to lift off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket on Thursday, July 30, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. The two-hour window opens at 7:50 a.m. EDT. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is managing the launch.

Despite dealing with significant challenges associated with COVID-19, Kennedy (and its surrounding area) is hosting the second major launch in two months. SpaceX's Demo-2 mission, carrying NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the International Space Station, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A on May 30.

"When we started 2020, we knew we were going to have a big year at the spaceport," Kennedy Deputy Director Janet Petro said. "And I think the events and the milestones of the next couple days are really going to demonstrate that."

Developed under NASA's Mars Exploration Program, the rover will search for signs of past microbial life. Perseverance will reach Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, touching down on the surface of Jezero Crater.

Attached to the belly of the rover and weighing less than four pounds is NASA's Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity. The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter will become the first aircraft to fly on another world.

"Ingenuity is going to transform how we think about exploring worlds in the future," Bridenstine said.

The rover will collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by future Mars sample return missions. It also will test new technologies to benefit future robotic and human exploration of Mars.

"In 2026, we're going to launch a mission from Earth to Mars to go pick up those samples and bring them back to Earth," Bridenstine said. "For the first time in history, we're doing a Mars sample return mission."

NASA Television and the agency's website will provide live launch coverage tomorrow morning, starting at 7. Stay tuned as the mission eclipses multiple milestones — including stage separation, main engine cutoff, and spacecraft separation — or follow along at blogs.nasa.gov/Mars2020. NASA will broadcast a post-launch news conference, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

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 Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 3 ч. назад

The Centaur AV-088 upper stage will launch east from the Cape and enter a low (~200 km) parking orbit before restarting to boost to a 209  x-68000 km x 27.6 deg escape hyperbola with C3=14.49 km2/s2


3 ч. назад

On Aug 3,  Mars 2020 and the Centaur AV-088 stage will leave Earth's Hill sphere and become artificial planets, entering a 1.01 x 1.64 AU x 2.1 deg solar orbit.

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Jul 30, 2020 07:15

Welcome to Atlas/Mars 2020 Countdown!

From the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, this is Atlas Launch Control at T-minus 6 hours, 20 minutes and holding. 

We are about to begin the countdown for the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to send NASA's Mars 2020 mission to the red planet in search of ancient life preserved in rocks and sediments.

Activities are on schedule for liftoff from Space Launch Complex-41 at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC). The launch window extends to 9:50 a.m. EDT (1350 UTC), a duration of exactly two hours. 

We will be starting the countdown shortly at 12:30 a.m.

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 NASA HQ PHOTO @nasahqphoto 2 ч. назад

The @ulalaunch #AtlasV rocket carrying @NASAPersevere is seen illuminated by spotlights at Space Launch Complex 41. Launch slated for Thursday July 30 at 7:50 a.m. EDT. #CountdownToMars  More - https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPGdBZY

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Jul 30, 2020 07:30

Countdown Begins

T-minus 6 hours, 20 minutes (L-7 hours, 20 minutes) and counting!

We have entered the countdown for liftoff of the Atlas V rocket and Perseverance rover this morning from Cape Canaveral on NASA's Mars 2020 mission.
 
There are two pre-planned, built-in holds, each lasting 30 minutes, scheduled in the count. One pause is reserved prior to fueling at T-minus 2 hours, the other occurs prior to the terminal count at T-minus 4 minutes. That will lead us to a liftoff at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC).



The Atlas V rocket, designated AV-088, will accelerate Perseverance to 24,785 mph (11.008 km/s) and release the spacecraft on an Earth departure trajectory to travel nearly 300 million miles (483 million km) across interplanetary space to reach Mars next February.

It will take just under an hour to perform this Atlas V mission, from liftoff until deployment of the spacecraft, and the high-performance Centaur upper stage will perform two burns to achieve Earth escape velocity.

Our rocket variant being flown today is the Atlas V 541 configuration that is distinguished by the five-meter-wide composite payload fairing, four solid rocket boosters that are side-mounted to the first stage and a single RL10C-1 engine on the Centaur upper stage. It stands 197 feet (60 meters) tall and will weigh 1,170,150 pounds (530,771 kg) at liftoff.

Perseverance is the most sophisticated rover that the U.S. has ever sent to Mars, with a name that embodies the passion for taking on and overcoming challenges. The rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet's geology and climate, collect carefully selected and documented rock and sediment samples for eventual return to Earth and pave the way for human exploration beyond the Moon.

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Jul 30, 2020 07:40

This is Atlas Launch Control at T-minus 6 hours, 10 minutes (L-7 hours, 10 minutes) and counting.

The application of power to the Atlas and Centaur stages is underway at the start of today's countdown procedures. The stages are being powered up to begin launch day testing and final preparations for fueling operations.

Over the next few hours, final preps for the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen systems will be performed, along with a test of the rocket's guidance system and the first stage propulsion and hydraulic preps, internal battery checks and testing of the GPS Metric Tracking system used to follow the rocket as it flies downrange, plus a test of the S-band telemetry relay system.

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Jul 30, 2020 08:14

The Atlas-Centaur rocket has been powered up for its launch to Mars.

The flight control operator in the Launch Control Center performed the power up. Soon, he will begin avionics testing while the rocket's Inertial Guidance and Control Assembly (INCA) flight computer is allowed to warm up. Later, the operator will conduct guidance system testing and steering checks of the engine nozzles prior to cryogenic fueling.

The countdown continues to track on schedule for liftoff at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 UTC). At T-minus 5 hours, 36 minutes (L-6 hours, 36 minutes) and counting, this is Atlas Launch Control.

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Jul 30, 2020 08:36

The guidance system test is beginning, the next major milestone in today's countdown. This activity will take the next couple of hours to complete.

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Jul 30, 2020 08:57

Weather remains 80% GO

This is Atlas Launch Control at T-minus 4 hours, 53 minutes (L-5 hours, 53 minutes) and counting. Launch Weather Officer Jessica Williams from the 45th Weather Squadron reports that conditions at Cape Canaveral are looking favorable for the flight of Atlas V and Mars 2020 this morning, forecasting an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions at liftoff time.



The outlook for launch time calls for some low-level and scattered mid-level clouds, good visibility, southwesterly winds of 8 to 10 knots and a temperature near 80 degrees F.

All conditions are GO at the present time. The primary concerns for the launch window are violation of the Cumulus Cloud Rule for any showers within 10 miles of the pad and the mid-level cloud deck causing a red condition for the Thick Cloud Rule. Meteorologists say either scenario would be relatively brief during the launch opportunity today.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/07/29/atlas-5s-launch-timeline-on-the-mars-2020-mission/

Atlas 5 launch timeline on the Mars 2020 mission

July 29, 2020 | Stephen Clark

This is the launch timeline to be followed by the Atlas 5 rocket's ascent into space from Cape Canaveral with NASA's Mars 2020 mission. Launch is scheduled for Thursday during a two-hour window opening at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT).

The 197-foot-tall rocket will arc to the southeast from Florida's Space Coast on its fourth flight of the year. It will be the 85th Atlas 5 launch overall since United Launch Alliance's workhorse rocket debuted in August 2002.

The timeline below ends with the conclusion of the primary mission, the deployment of the Mars 2020 spacecraft on an interplanetary trajectory toward Mars

Follow live coverage of the countdown and launch in our Mission Status Center.

A video overview of the Atlas 5 launch sequence also describes the major milestones on the Mars 2020 mission, and a map below shows the Atlas 5's expected ground track toward the southeast from Cape Canaveral, culminating in separation of the Mars 2020 spacecraft from the Centaur upper stage over Indonesia.


This map illustrates the Atlas 5's ground track after liftoff from Cape Canaveral with NASA's Mars 2020 mission. The milestones labeled include: 4) Atlas engine shutdown; 5) Atlas/Centaur separation; 6) Centaur Main Engine Start 1; 7) Centaur Main Engine Cutoff 1;   8)Centaur Main Engine Start 2; 9) Centaur Main Engine Cutoff; 10) Mars 2020 separation; 11) Start Blowdown; 12) End of Atlas 5 Mission. Credit: United Launch A

Спойлер

T+0:00:01.1: Liftoff


With the RD-180 main engine running, the Atlas 5 vehicle lifts off and begins a vertical rise away from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

T+0:00:35.2: Mach 1


Riding 2.3 million pounds of thrust from its RD-180 main engine and four solid rocket boosters, the Atlas 5 exceeds the speed of sound.

T+0:00:47.1: Max-Q


The Atlas 5 rocket passes through the region of maximum dynamic pressure during ascent through the lower atmosphere.

T+0:01:49.3: Jettison SRBs


Having burned out of propellant approximately 20 seconds earlier, the four spent Aerojet Rocketdyne-built solid rocket boosters are jettisoned once dynamic pressure conditions are satisfied.

T+0:03:27.6: Payload Fairing Jettison


The Atlas 5 rocket's payload fairing, made in Switzerland by Ruag Space, is jettisoned in a clamshell-like fashion once external heating levels drop below predetermined limits after climbing through the dense lower atmosphere. The Forward Load Reactor deck that connected the payload fairing's structure to the Centaur upper stage is released five seconds after the shroud's jettison.

T+0:04:22.1: Main Engine Cutoff


The RD-180 main engine completes its firing after consuming its kerosene and liquid oxygen fuel supply in the Atlas first stage.

T+0:04:28.1: Stage Separation


The Common Core Booster first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket separates from the Centaur upper stage. Over the next few seconds, the Centaur engine liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen systems are readied for ignition.

T+0:04:38.1: Centaur Ignition 1


The Centaur RL10C-1 engine ignites for the first of two upper stage firings. This burn will inject the Centaur stage and Mars 2020 spacecraft into an initial parking orbit.

T+0:11:27.9: Centaur Cutoff 1


The Centaur engine shuts down after arriving in a planned low-Earth parking orbit. The vehicle enters a 33-minute coast period before arriving at the required location in space for the second burn.

T+0:44:59.5: Centaur Ignition 2


After coasting over the Atlantic Ocean and crossing South Africa, the Centaur re-ignites its RL10C-1 engine to accelerate the Mars 2020 payload with enough velocity to escape Earth's gravity. This burn lasts nearly eight minutes.

T+0:52:50.1: Centaur Cutoff 2


After accelerating the Mars 2020 spacecraft to a velocity of 24,785 mph, or about 11 kilometers per second, relative to Earth, the Centaur upper stage shuts down its engine and begins re-orienting itself into the proper position for separation of the Mars 2020 payload.

T+0:57:32.8: Mars 2020 Separation


The Mars 2020 spacecraft, containing NASA's Perseverance rover, deploys from the Centaur upper stage over Indonesia. Around 20 minutes later, the first signals from the spacecraft should be received by ground controllers through a NASA tracking station in Canberra, Australia.

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https://ria.ru/20200730/1575144048.html

Американские ученые готовятся впервые получить кислород на Марсе
09:10 30.07.2020

ВАШИНГТОН, 30 июл – РИА Новости. Чистейший кислород может впервые появиться на Марсе в 2021 году, если эксперимент MOXIE оправдает ожидания своих создателей, рассказал РИА Новости заместитель научного руководителя проекта профессор Массачусетского технологического института, бывший астронавт НАСА Джеффри Хоффман.

Эксперимент MOXIE - это аппарат величиной с автомобильный аккумулятор для получения кислорода из атмосферы Огненной планеты. Эксперимент будет работать на марсоходе Perseverance, который, как планируется, стартует с Земли 30 июля и, если все сложится удачно, в феврале прибудет на Марс.

Зачем на Марсе кислород?

США серьезно увлечены идеей освоения Марса. Даже лунная программа, за которую взялась администрация Дональда Трампа, считается лишь этапом на пути освоения Огненной планеты. В США заявляют, что намерены в 2030-х осуществить мечту по отправке человека на Марс, и хотя специалисты сомневаются в реалистичности такой цели, многие считают, что лучше иметь ее и стремиться к ней, нежели не мечтать вовсе.

Сейчас, помимо ряда спутников, на Марсе работает американский ровер Curiosity, в следующем году компанию ему составит Perseverance. Он должен совершить посадку в районе кратера Езеро (Jezero), где ему предстоит вести наблюдения за окружающей средой планеты, делать заборы его грунта и даже запустить в его атмосферу вертолет Ingenuity, который первым должен совершить полет на Марсе.

Один из научных инструментов ровера – MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment) предназначен для выработки кислорода из диоксида углерода, из которого состоит атмосфера Марса. В НАСА рассчитывают, что именно этот эксперимент будет полезен для будущих пилотируемых миссий на Марс.

"Одна из целей ровера Perseverance – поиск ископаемых свидетельств прошлой жизни на Марсе, там будут эксперименты по изучению геологии Марса, вертолет. Эксперименты в конечном итоге предназначены для того, чтобы проложить путь к исследованию Марса человеком", - пояснил цель миссии MOXIE один из ее создателей.

"Когда люди полетят на Марс, в отличие от марсохода, который просто останется там... по завершении своей работы они захотят вернуться. А это означает, что им нужна будет ракета, чтобы вернуться на находящийся на орбите корабль и затем возвратиться на Землю", - добавил собеседник агентства.

По оценкам специалистов, чтобы возвращение людей с Марса стало реальностью и тяжелая ракета смогла преодолеть гравитацию планеты, понадобится не менее 30 тонн чистейшего жидкого кислорода.

"Большинство людей, когда слышат, что мы собираемся производить кислород на Марсе, думают о том, что это для того, чтобы людям было чем дышать. Но в действительности нам с вами нужно около 1 килограмма кислорода в день, поэтому, даже если вы остаетесь на Марсе надолго, вам понадобится всего несколько сотен килограммов чистого кислорода, но это мизерное количество в сравнении с 30 тоннами, которые понадобятся для ракеты", - рассказывает ученый.

Привезти с собой необходимый объем баллонов кислорода для дыхания человека не составит большого труда, а вот доставить на поверхность Марса несколько десятков тонн ракетного топлива будет проблематично, предупреждает профессор Хоффман.

"Производство кислорода на Марсе, в отличие от доставки на него 30 тонн кислорода, позволит сэкономить миллиарды долларов. Полет на Марс и так, без всякого сомнения, будет дорогим, и все, что мы можем сделать, чтобы сократить стоимость и сделать это более доступным, очень важно", - подчеркивает собеседник агентства.

Как дерево, но по-другому

Спойлер

Инструмент MOXIE массой около 17 килограммов, расположен в правой передней части ровера. Создатели инструмента проводят аналогию между своим экспериментом и деревом, которое вдыхает диоксид углерода и выдыхает кислород, только MOXIE делает это не в результате фотосинтеза, а с помощью физического воздействия током на атмосферу Марса. С помощью электротока он будет разделять атомы диоксида углерода, из которых на 96% состоит атмосфера Марса, и выделять из нее кислород.

Создатели MOXIE подчеркивают, что их эксперимент вовсе не новаторский. "Эта идея не нова, люди говорят о том, чтобы сделать это десятилетиями, и многократно испытывали в земных лабораториях, имитируя условия на Марсе, но все равно Марс может готовить сюрпризы, которые мы не предполагаем сейчас", - говорит Хоффман.

Он подчеркивает необходимость "демонстрации работы технологии в реальной среде". "Мы никогда не производили кислород где-либо на другой планете, и MOXIE будет первой попыткой", - подчеркнул значение предстоящего эксперимента ученый.

По его словам, "малыш" MOXIE может производить лишь около 10 грамм кислорода в час, но главное сегодня – продемонстрировать, что технология работает и на Марсе.

Говоря об объеме чистого кислорода, который рассчитывают получить благодаря MOXIE ученые, Хоффман отмечает, что его будет "немного".

"Мы произведем до 10 граммов кислорода в час. Это не очень много, но если бы у вас была маленькая собачка на Марсе, этого достаточно, чтобы она жила, но недостаточно для человека", - говорит ученый.

Поскольку кислородом на Марсе пока никто не дышит, после оценки качества полученного газа его вновь выпустят в атмосферу планеты.

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Масштабы и корректировки

Спойлер

Эксперимент MOXIE требует большого количества электроэнергии.

"Иногда они (руководители миссии - ред.) будут объявлять, что один марсианский день будет полностью посвящен MOXIE и ровер в этот день не будет двигаться, а все другие эксперименты будут "спать", - замечает Хоффман.

По условиям НАСА, эксперимент должен произвести кислород по меньшей мере 10 раз, его создатели надеются удвоить этот показатель.

Расчетный срок работы аппарата – один марсианский год, это два земных года. Но его создатели надеются, что, как это часто бывает с космическими аппаратами, прослужит он гораздо дольше, чем заявлено в его документах.

"Мы делали эксперименты в лаборатории реактивного движения (НАСА) на Земле, и даже после 60 включений MOXIE все еще работал... Мы надеемся, что сможем произвести кислород как минимум 20 раз, и если после 20-го раза он все еще будет работать, мы бы хотели продолжить эксперимент, чтобы посмотреть, что произойдет", - говорит ученый.

Он признает, что реальные марсианские условия могут преподнести исследователям немало сюрпризов. "Мы не знаем, не произойдет ли на Марсе что-то, что помешает продолжительности работы MOXIE", - пояснил Хоффман.

Маленький эксперимент MOXIE пока является лишь демонстрацией технологии, но исследователи надеются, что в будущем удастся создать его "большую" версию.

"MOXIE производит лишь одну двухсотую объема кислорода, которая необходима для пилотируемой миссии на Марс, но это не означает, что можно просто увеличить MOXIE в 200 раз, это будет просто неэффективно", - говорит ученый.

По его словам, перед специалистами стоит задача решения таких марсианских проблем, как непостоянное давление атмосферы, пыль и многие другие вопросы, которые не столь существенны для маленького инструмента MOXIE, работающего лишь периодически, но должны быть учтены при создании устройства для получения кислорода в требуемых объемах.

"Что касается MOXIE, то каждый раз, когда мы будем ее включать, у нас будут приблизительные данные о плотности атмосферы, и в зависимости от этих данных мы должны будем регулировать его работу, поскольку от плотности атмосферы зависит, сколько вы сможете получить кислорода", - поясняет специалист.

Он уточнил, что руководители эксперимента будут каждый раз вносить коррективы его работу в соответствии с реальными условиями на Марсе.

"Мы можем делать это, поскольку будем работать, может, только один раз в месяц... но если вы будете иметь дело с автоматизированной системой, она должна будет следить за ситуацией в атмосфере и в соответствии с ней корректировать объем кислорода, который она будет производить", - отмечает ученый, говоря о перспективах увеличения масштаба производства кислорода на Марсе.

"Предстоит проделать много работы, MOXIE – это первый маленький шаг, это просто демонстрация того, что процесс в принципе работает, но впереди еще долгий путь до того, как мы сможем отправить людей на Марс и получить кислород для их ракеты... Мы всегда мечтали полетать на Марс сами. Сейчас я понимаю, что не смогу оказаться там, но мне повезло быть частью эксперимента, который в конечном итоге будет полезен для будущих астронавтов, которые полетят на Марс", - добавил Хоффман, который 20 лет работал астронавтом НАСА и пять раз побывал в космосе.

Создание MOXIE обошлось НАСА в 50 миллионов долларов, это самый маленький эксперимент на новейшем ровере, общая стоимость которого составила около 2,4 миллиарда долларов. Примечательно, что финансирование создания и эксплуатации MOXIE разделили между собой сразу три отдела НАСА: управление пилотируемых миссий, управление технологий и отдел науки.

"Это новшество для НАСА - они никогда не делали проект, который является такой крупной комбинацией различных отделов и действительно находится на стыке научной и пилотируемой программ", - подчеркивает ученый.

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