what is the scientific value of going to mars?
Goal 1: Determine whether life ever arose on Mars
The first pace in agreement the possibility of by or present life on Mars is to decide whether the red planet ever had environmental conditions able to support life. At present that NASA's 2 Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have found compelling bear witness that liquid h2o once persisted on the surface of Mars, scientists hope to decide if other things necessary for life were too present. With a single rover bigger than both the Viking landers sent to Mars in the 1970s, Mars Science Laboratory looks for chemical elements that are the building blocks of life. These edifice blocks include six elements necessary to all life on Earth: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
Life requires small amounts of other elements, such as iron, along with sources of energy. On Earth, this energy comes from sunlight or from electrons moving back and along between elements and compounds in nature. Life also requires a stable plenty surroundings to get a foothold without being eradicated past natural hazards such equally volcanic explosions or excessive ultraviolet radiation. The Mars Science Laboratory is studying carbon and h2o cycles on the planet through its history. That is, information technology seeks to make up one's mind in what class and amount carbon and water is stored on the planet or in its atmosphere and how that may have changed through fourth dimension.
[more on Goal 1 for the entire Mars Exploration Program]
Goal 2: Characterize the climate of Mars
Mars Science Laboratory is characterizing Mars' ancient climate and climate processes for the lower and upper temper. In the past, a warmer Mars might accept supported a thicker, wetter atmosphere. But now, with its thin, common cold atmosphere, much of the water on Mars has left the surface and temper. Most of information technology is probably trapped nether the surface, either every bit ice or possibly in liquid form if any exists about a heat source on the planet, such equally a volcanic "hot jump." An earlier thicker, wetter atmosphere may have provided amend environmental conditions for supporting microbial life in Mars' early history.
Mars Science Laboratory allows scientists to determine more precisely the limerick of the Martian atmosphere, for instance, by measuring the stable isotopes of elements such equally carbon. (Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different masses because they take a different number of neutrons in the nucleus.) Nearly elements of biological interest have two or more stable isotopes. Organisms often selectively utilise particular isotopes based on their availability and mass. Environmental conditions also affect the availability of diverse isotopes. Mars Science Laboratory looks for biosignatures - signs of life - such as abrupt changes in isotopic abundance that might be associated with life, and investigates the composition of rocks, soils, and land forms that might be linked with changes in the planet'southward temper over fourth dimension.
Mars Science Laboratory is studying Martian atmospheric condition patterns and characterizing the distribution of h2o, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen in the atmosphere and well-nigh the surface. Information technology also measures surface radiation, including cosmic rays, solar protons, and neutrons bombarding the planet from space.
[more on Goal 2 for the entire Mars Exploration Plan]
Goal 3: Narrate the geology of Mars
A record of Mars' history is folded in the layers of the martian surface -- in essence, geology's version of tree rings. Mars Science Laboratory studies the rock and soil record in order to sympathise the geologic processes that created and modified the martian chaff and surface through fourth dimension. In particular, it looks for prove of rocks that formed in the presence of water.
[more on Goal 3 for the entire Mars Exploration Program]
Goal 4: Set up for homo exploration
By demonstrating an ability to land large, heavy payloads on the surface, Mars Science Laboratory paves the style for sending equipment and the huge infrastructure needed past any homo explorers of the future. Experience in precision landing techniques too provides the showtime early on steps in developing an ability to transport astronauts to a given location safely and reliably.
A amend understanding and characterization of radiations levels at the surface of Mars will help mission planners sympathise potential hazards faced by any time to come astronaut crews and pattern methods for protecting their health.
[more on Goal four for the entire Mars Exploration Programme]
Source: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/science/goals/
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