New Satelite And Rover (exomars) Launches To Mars (photos)

Picture credits:
http://spaceflight101.com/exomars/exomars-mission-illustrations/


Today is an exciting day as a new Probe is joining the Mars frontier...

The ExoMars 2016 mission is short for Exobiology Mars and is tasked with looking for evidence of life on Mars. It consists of the TGO and Schiaparelli module. The TGO will look for traces of methane in the Martian atmosphere with an eye on learning more about the mechanism that produces it and to determine if this is geological, chemical, or biological. It will also send back images of the Martian surface and search for subsurface ice deposits.

The new rover is on a mission to further probe into the Martian surface for organic signatures (evidence of life) Microbes and colonies of microbes that may be lurking somewhere beneath the surface of the red planet.

That is an exciting possibility and a stepping stone to mankind's quest for extra-terrestrial life forms..

The ExoMars has been launched on a 7 months Journey to the red planet ... Let us go through the stages it will under go on it's journey to Mars..


Exo Mars under construction..



The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is loaded on an Antonov An-124 transport
plane in Turin, Italy. Credit: Thales Alenia Space...

the components were transported in 3 heavy duty airplanes to the launch site..

 

1. ExoMars on launch Pad ready for launching.

2. Lift off... Launch was successful... We will be seeing her in Mars in 7months time

 

 

The mission comprises the Trace Gas Orbiter and an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module, Schiaparelli, which are scheduled to be launched on a four-stage Proton-M/Breeze-M rocket from Baikonur during the 14–25 March 2016 window.

1 ShareIn 10 hours after launch the space craft will separate from the rocket, this will be right above the earth's atmosphere..

 

4th stage separation and acquisition of space probe's signals

 

Trace Gas Orbiter deploys it's Solar arrays and high gain antena 2 weeks after launch and the probe stays on a 7 months drift towards the Red planet..



Components of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)

 

7 months later, 16 October 2016... Right before the red planet, Schaparelli which is a compartment containing the Mars Rover separates from the Trace Gas Orbiter probe for a descent into Mars..

 

The remainder of Trace Gas Orbiter takes an Orbit around Mars for atmospheric readings while Schaperelli makes a descent and landing into the Martian Surface..




and then the schaperelli also called EDM (Entry, descent and landing demonstrator module)..

Lands on the Martian surface and the New Rover wheels out to begin exploration of the Martian surface along side the older rovers Curiosity and Opportunity Rovers..





With the coming ExoMars mission in 2018 and the deep research that will be carried out deep down the martian surface.. The question

-Is there life on Mars?

May yet be answered in a decades time as these recent probes are tasked with the objective of drilling into martian surface for traces of organic signatures...

Picture credits:
http://spaceflight101.com/exomars/exomars-mission-illustrations/

m.esa.int..