The Russo-European mission ExoMars 2016, which separated successfully Monday night Proton launcher is now en route to the red planet, the surface of which it must find potential evidence of biological activities.
This mission mounted despite persistent tensions between the EU and Russia and reciprocal sanctions they impose, allows Europeans to start the onslaught of Mars after a first success in 2003 and the Russians to realize their dream of exploring one day.
After making four times the ignition of the propellant Breeze M stage to achieve the necessary speed to jump to Mars, the ExoMars mission is separated as expected, announced the European Space Agency (ESA).
the separation took place at 8:13 p.m. GMT, said the ESA in a statement .
at 9:29 p.m. GMT, the probe, accompanied by the test lander named Schiaparelli, has for the first time issued “signals confirming that the launch went well and the spacecraft is in good state, “the statement said.
the probe” TGO is alive and it speaks “, welcomed the ESA on Twitter.
the ExoMars mission took off with the rocket proton at 9:31 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the steppes of Kazakhstan.
a journey of seven months to travel a journey of 496 million kilometers ahead for the mission. At completion, the lander will separate from the probe on 16 October to land on the red planet three days later.
After dropping the landing gear, the TGO probe will enter an elliptical orbit and slow very gradually to be placed in a circular orbit at 400 km altitude.
This “big nose in space” will then search for gas to trace in the atmosphere of planet, including those based on carbon as methane, that interests scientists because on Earth, it is 90% organic. In addition, its lifetime is limited.
Its detection by TGO could therefore be a possible indication of the actual presence of a micro-organic life on Mars.
The probe analyze “if it is organic or if it is the result of a geological process,” explained Jorge Vago, ExoMars Chief scientist for ESA.
Schiaparelli Module the name of an Italian astronomer of the nineteenth century will, in turn, serves to teach scientists how to land on Mars. Weighing nearly 600 kilos, it is the size of a small car. Devoid of solar panels, it “live” two to four days
-. 2018 ExoMars in sight –
“We now find ourselves at the dawn of a new era of Mars exploration, “said a statement from the Director General of ESA, Jan Woerner, speaking of a path” long and winding “before reaching the successful launch of ExoMars, 2016.
initially considered alongside the Americans, the mission was finally developed in collaboration with Russia after NASA’s defection for budgetary reasons in 2011.
“cooperation (with Russia) continues. tomorrow we will explore Mars together, “promised Mr. Woerner
in fact, this consignment must be followed by another Russian-European mission, ExoMars 2018, which will send vehicle search for traces of past life on Mars in particular exploring an area where ancient clays are. Scheduled for 2018, it could however be delayed.
This is the second time that Europe goes on the attack of the red planet. In 2003, she launched Mars Express, which has completed its scientific mission.
But the small British Beagle 2 lander dropped by Mars Express has never been heard from. He was spotted, eleven years after the surface of the red planet.
The President of the French Space Agency, CNES, Jean-Yves Le Gall, told AFP that the success Monday augured “well on to Exomars 2018″.
heir to the Soviet Union sent the first man into space and the first robot on the moon, Russia looking for its part to reconnect with such feats despite the economic crisis and bitter setbacks in recent years.
the Russian ambitions were cut short at first when in 2011 the Phobos-Grunt probe, first Russian attempt to interplanetary exploration since the failure in November 1996 of the Mars 96, had ended up in the Pacific ocean. But ExoMars allowed Russian scientists hope again.
The “Roving Mars” was also the subject of experiments by US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, back on earth 2 March after almost a year in orbit
03/15/2016 5:18:56. – Baikonur (Kazakhstan) (AFP) – AFP © 2016
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