A SpaceXbillionaire rocket company Elon Muskconfirmed that it intends Send an unmanned ship to Mars until the end of 2026. The launch marks a significant step in the company’s aspirations to explore the red planet.
In an interview with CNNthe Brazilian engineer Luciano Camilo Alexandrewhich operates in NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)described the challenges and steps that need to be overcome for. “When we talk about Mars’s missions, the complexity involved is very large,” said Alexandre.
Launching window and challenges
The engineer pointed out that the missions for Mars depend on a specific launch windowwhich occurs every 26 months. “It is essential that all the tests, that the whole spaceship is prepared to be ready to launch within this window,” said the Brazilian.
A trip to Mars takes about seven monthsduring which various problems can arise from electronic failures to complications in navigation. Alexandre points out that, historically, 60% of the missions released to Mars failed, although the United States has a 70% success rate.
One of the most critical moments of the mission is the landing on Mars, known as “seven minutes of terror“. In this period, the spacecraft needs slow 20,000 kilometers per hour to zerototally autonomously, due to the delay in communication with the earth.
Alexandre also recalled that until it is possible to make it possible A manned trip to the planet in the future. “We need to ensure a survival structure for astronauts on Mars and also secure their return to Earth safely,” he noted.
Currently, NASA scientific experiments on Mars include autonomous oxygen generation and material tests for future astronauts. These for the success of future manned missions.
The Brazilian also pointed out that the mission of Spacex, if successful, can provide valuable data for the advancement of exploration to Mars.
