Mars, Mars, and more Mars: Three probes are going to reach the red planet in the next two weeks
Mark Sumner
Daily Kos Staff
Saturday February 06, 2021 · 12:43 PM EST
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Once every couple of years, Mars and Earth get into a position where probes launched from planet #3 can get to planet #4 with a minimum of time and energy. The last time that happened, in 2020, three different probes from three different nations all lined up to take advantage of the relatively rapid transit times. Though the departure dates weren’t quite so close together, all three are about to make their arrival within just an eleven day window.
On Feb. 9, the “Hope” probe from the United Arab Emirates—not the first nation that comes to mind when you think of interplanetary space travel—will enter orbit. Just one day later on Feb. 10, China’s Tianwen-1 mission arrives. That mission includes both an orbiter and a lander, though the lander isn’t set to touch down until May. Finally, NASA’s latest rover, Perseverance heads for red soil on Feb. 18 using NASA’s incredible “Sky Crane” landing system.
And as all this Mars not-so-madness is going on, there’s a lot more happening back on Earth that could determine where NASA goes in the next few years. That includes a new test of the massive SLS system that is supposed to take astronauts back to the moon.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/2/6/2014371/-Mars-Mars-and-more-Mars-Three-probes-are-going-to-reach-the-red-planet-in-the-next-two-weeks
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