NASA is getting ready to launch a rocket from another planet for the first time. As part of the Mars Sample Return mission, NASA will send the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) from Mars, which will then help bring the collected samples back to Earth. The MAV team has already tested the first and second stages of the solid rocket motor, which was successful.
The MAV managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Center will be launched in June 2028. Samples from Mars could reach Earth by 2030. Currently, NASA’s Perseverance rover is collecting these samples. This will be the first opportunity to bring samples from another planet to Earth. During their examination, an attempt will be made to explore the possibility of life on Mars.
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Testing of both rocket motors has been successful.
To achieve success in the Mars Sample Return mission, the design of the MAV, along with all the connected parts, is undergoing testing and review. It will be launched from Earth using a sample retrieval lander, which will take about 2 years to reach Mars. Afterward, within the next year, the Perseverance rover will collect the samples.
The samples will be stored in the rocket’s nose. After the sample transfer, MAV will be launched from Mars, which will reach the planet’s orbit and hand over the sample container to the Return Orbiter. This same orbiter will bring the samples back to Earth.
The job of both motors is to help lift the rocket upwards.
The MAV will be launched using two solid rocket motors, SRM1 and SRM2. Through SRM1, the rocket will be lifted from the surface of Mars, while SRM2 will guide the sample container to Mars’ correct orbit.
The testing of the SRM2 motor took place on March 29th, while the SRM1 motor’s examination happened at California’s Air Force Base on April 7th. Both tests were successful.
The Perseverance rover was launched on
Before this, the Perseverance Mars rover landed on Mars on the night of February 18-19, 2021, to search for signs of life. According to Indian time, it landed around 2 AM on Mars’ most dangerous surface, the Jezero Crater. There used to be water on this surface.
NASA claimed it was the most accurate landing of a rover on Mars in history. The Perseverance rover will also bring samples of Mars’ rocks.
The rover had sent an audio recording.
Just a few days after launching, the Perseverance rover released its first audio recording from Mars. This short 10-second audio clip had very basic sounds. According to NASA, these sounds were created by the pressure from the rover’s landing on the dusty surface of Mars after it touched down.
About a month later in March, the rover conducted a test drive of approximately 21.3 feet. This left marks from its wheels on the Martian soil. NASA shared pictures of these marks on social media.
It will search for water and explore for signs of life.
Perseverance and Ingenuity helicopter are working on making oxygen from carbon dioxide on Mars. In addition to searching for signs of life below the ground and exploring water-related investigations, they will study the weather and climate of Mars using the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA).
