Planet Mars NASA Mission - Research Paper Example

? Planet Mars NASA Mission Other (s) 6 Planet Mars NASA Mission Questions There are a number of questions that are intended to be addressed in the proposed space exploration mission. According to Raeburn (36), space exploration has significant implications both to the scientific study and the future of human race. Generally, the primary objective of this space human mission is to accomplish exploration and research activities that can contribute to the humanity in terms of new knowledge, discoveries and scientific development. As a result, the three key research questions that have been adopted for the proposed Planet Mars NASA Mission includes: 1. What is the feasibility that people will ultimately inhabit the planet Mars? 2. What are the implications of the project Planet Mars NASA Mission to applied science researches particularly in the augmentation of life sustaining systems? 3. What is the origin of the solar system and its history? Background The Mars NASA mission is an exploration project that is intended to help confirm the future potential for humans to conquer the red planet. For centuries, the planet Mars has always been a subject of fascination and fantasy. Although the modern study of the red planet began in the late the early 19th century, our awareness of Mars dates back to several centuries. According to Landis (88), human interest in Mars has been in existence of several centuries beginning with the invention of telescope in the 1600s. With the development of telescope, the increasing detailed view of the red planet particularly inspired fantasies of ever visiting Mars as well as speculations about the possibility of life existing in mars. The earliest telescopic observations of the red planet revealed a number of color variations that were initially believed to be a likely indication of the presence of vegetation. Although this was later proved to be untrue, the erroneous interpretation of the early observations of the planet only served to contribute to renewed public interest in Mars. Further scientific studies and discoveries based on the early telescopes revealed that Mars had two moons, tallest mountain in the entire solar system, polar ice caps as well as the presence of rocks on the surface of Mars. The contemporary Mars exploration missions began in the 1960s after the Soviets launched a number of probes to the Red planet. The first successful fly by of the plant was carried out by the American mariner 4 in 1965. In 1971, Mariner 9, became tie first space probe to be successfully launched into the orbit of Mars. However, despite increasing interest in Mars in the scientific community, previous attempts to explore the planet have experienced a significantly high failure rate due to a wide range of challenges and complications. For example, majority of the spaceships intended to explore Mars have failed before their missions are completed while others have experienced failures before their observations of the planet could commence (Siddiqi 104). Recent probes carried out by space programs such as NASA have significant knowledge on the plant including its geology and possibility of life. As technology continued to advance, the amount of information obtained through subsequent space probes dramatically increased (Wayne 348).Today, an infinite possibility of resources and knowledge regarding space exploration remains untapped. Although critics have questioned the significance of space exploration, arguing that it is a waste of money and time, space missions remains one of the critical factors that are likely to shape the future of human race in the coming years. According to many experts, exploration of Mars and other space projects are not only important for scientific advancement, but are also critical to the future of human race. One of the likely benefits of the project is the fact that it carries with it a potential to discover more habitable space that man, as well as other animals and plants can survive. This will in turn help to reduce the human congestion on planet Earth, while also assisting to reduce the human-nature conflict, especially inform of environmental degradation and emissions that are causing global warming. As the population of the world continues to grow, humans are increasingly putting more pressure on the available living space and resources on earth that is needed to support them. For example, evidence of stress on the environment can be seen in many parts of the world particularly in the populated regions such as China where cities are increasingly being filled with smog and pollutants. Additionally, non renewable resources on earth are rapidly running out and humans may be compelled in the future to colonize space in order to guarantee their survivability. On the other hand, planet Mars NASA mission project is expected to provide numerous immediate incentives. For instance, the fascination of visiting another planet in the universe is likely to inspire many scientists and students to work harder and contribute to the existing knowledge in areas such as astronomy, physics and rock science. According to Siddiqi (106), this will not only promote scientific research but will also result in a plethora of employment opportunities for people working in various specialized fields related to space programs. Lastly, another important contribution of space exploration programs is that they provide a universe of opportunity for scientific advancement in a wide range of specialized areas of study. According to many experts, the exploration of Mars, Stars and other space objects can potentially provide answers to some of the century old questions such as the origin of life and universe. Similarly, the study of alien environments can lead to exponential new knowledge and scientific leaps in the fields of medical research, biology and evolution. For example, the effects of gravity on human body can be studied including its potential use in the cure of certain diseases. Mission and the Required Systems Previous human missions to the red planet have often tended to focus on the flight and spacecraft design or capabilities as opposed to what the crew are expected to carry out once they are successfully on the surface of the planet. On the contrary, the proposed mission will largely take more consideration for the Mars surface exploration including the use of scientific methods to evaluate the potential for human settlement on planet Mars. In this regard, the entire architecture of the mission spacecraft will be designed to allow for a robust surface performance capability to enhance surface exploration (Bertaux 796). The design of the spacecraft and other equipments will also entail ensuring that the systems are able to effectively help in the transportation of the crew and their equipment for long kilometers without breakdown. An orbiter will be the most appropriate craft that will be used for this mission. This is because it will be easily embedded on it other instruments that will work jointly towards revealing the characteristics of the planet. Generally, some of the expected capabilities of the mission spacecraft include ability to safely land the crew on the surface of the planet Mars as well as return them safely to earth, performance efficiency on the surface of the planet. In addition, the supporting equipment, materials and food are expected to sufficiently support the crew for up to 2years without need for resupply, support the crew in the management of various space operations including data management, communications relay as well as operational planning for both the routine and the contingency mission situations. On the other hand, various key technologies will be developed and included as part of the equipment required to help the crew during the testing of life support and potential human settlement issues in the planet Mars. This will reduce the likely workload associated with testing and analysis of a diverse range of specimens during the Mars exploration. Among the instruments that will be included on the orbiter is a high-resolution camera, which will be able to record all the features of planet Mars. This will in turn help to compare the features with those of planet Earth, thus determining whether planet Mars is a habitable place or not. To enhance the effectiveness of the planned surface operations on Mars, the supporting systems will not only be highly reliable, but also highly autonomous and responsive to the diverse needs of the crew throughout their stay in an alien environment. However, it is important to note that some important needs may not be necessarily anticipated during the crew training and preparation. The proposed set of item includes Thermal Emission Spectrometer, which will work effectively towards determining the mineral characteristics of planet Mars, by measuring the variations in thermal radiations, which are emitted by different matter on this planet, such as the soil and rock substances (Landis 371). Once the Mission has landed safely on their destination, the crews are expected to embark on a comprehensive exploration of the planet’s surface within the vicinity of up to 500 kilometers from the landing outpost. Consequently, having a reliable surface system will not only allow them to effectively study various materials in situ or their surface laboratory, but will also enable them to modify or update their exploration plan based on their discoveries. Most of the research and exploration activities will be accomplished on the surface of the planet Mars once the crew members have successfully disembarked from the spacecraft. The key activities and tasks will include but not limited to habitability experiments, tele-operational robotic experiments and activities, planetary investigations and other related scientific investigations. However, although a large portion of activities during the mission will be primarily carried out on the planetary surface, additional research activities supplementing the search for the answers of the key mission questions may also be undertaken in the other phases of the mission. An important aspect of the proposed mission will be the incorporation of a wide range of risk mitigation strategies to protect the crew from various risks during their stay in the space as well as while on the surface of Mars. This is particularly because the crew undertaking the human mission on the red planet is expected to encounter a wide range of risks including an active space environment, high energy events such during the launching and landing activities, explosions and potential equipment failures. However, the space environment is relatively benign and this may help avoid the risk of explosions and other related accidents during the trip. With regard to the risk mitigation strategies, one of the riskiest part of the proposed Mars exploration mission is during the launch from the Earth. For example, the energetic events that characterize this part of the mission are likely to come with higher risks of potential explosions or system failures (Wayne 341). The risks are expected to be minimal until the time of landing on the surface of Mars when another series of highly energetic events will occur again. To mitigate these risks, the design of the mission architecture will be done in such a way that ensures that all the systems are operational before the crews are launched from their Earth station. The design will also allow flexible robotic inspections and replacement of dysfunctional systems prior to the take off. After the launch, the system design will be expected to be allowing for automated detection of errors and fixing them or bypassing system failures using parallel capabilities. Lastly, as part of risk reduction and mitigation, the crew will be expected to undergo thorough training and proficiency in simulated space related environments to improve their survivability in the hostile space environments. Hypothesis Based on a number of preexisting information on the plant Mars obtained from the previous researches and space missions to the planet, it is hypothesized that the conditions on the red planet are much the same with that of the earth can therefore support life. Works Cited Bertaux, Jean L. “Discovery of an aurora on Mars”. Nature 43.5(2005):790-799.Web 12 Dec.2013. Landis, Geoffrey A. “Footsteps to Mars: an Incremental Approach to Mars Exploration.” Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 48.2(2005): 367-372. Print. Raeburn, Paul. Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet Mars. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society. 2008. Print. Siddiqi, Asif A. Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000. Monographs in Aerospace History 24.3(2002): 101–106. Print. Wayne, H. Pollard. “The Icebreaker Life Mission to Mars: A Search for Biomolecular Evidence for Life”. Astrobiology 13.4(2013): 334–353. Print. Read More