Exploration of the Solar System: Part 2
- Jun 13, 2022
- 3 min read
Just as in the previous blog, we'll be continuing to talk about probes sent to Mars. But additionally, we'll discuss the Space Shuttle Missions, which continue to have a lasting impact on space exploration.
Space Shuttle Missions
With the first Space Shuttle (also known as the Space Transportation System) mission officially launching on April 12, 1981, the Space Shuttle fleet consisted of 5 total Space Shuttles: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. They "flew [a total of] 135 missions", in which the Space Shuttle missions ranged from "helped construct the ISS" to repairing the Hubble Space Telescope (Loff, 2015). The construction of the ISS began in January 28, 1986, and the Space Shuttle Fleet was used "to take components of the ISS into orbit for assembly [as well as][...] ferry astronaut crews and supplies to and from the station" (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). While none of the Space Shuttles were used to fly to the Moon, they nonetheless had an immense impact on space exploration, which continues today, through the successes of the ISS and the Hubble Space Telescope.
As the first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle consisted of three major components: "a winged orbiter that carried both crew and cargo, an external tank containing liquid hydrogen (fuel) and liquid oxygen (oxidizer) for the orbiter's three main rocket engines, and a pair of large, solid-propellant, strap-on booster rockets" (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). Unfortunately, success is not possible without failure, which the Space Shuttle missions are not exempt from. On January 28, 1986, the Challenger Space Shuttle "exploded shortly after liftoff", which killed all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, who was meant to be the first private citizen in space ((Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). After investigations were conducted, it was discovered that "a joint seal in one of the solid rocket boosters had failed" due to flaws in the design(Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). Unfortunately, another tragedy struck for the Space Shuttle mission of Columbia, on February 1, 2003, which broke up as it was "returning from an orbital mission" (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). Just as in the Challenger explosion, all seven astronauts aboard were killed. After investigations were conducted, it was discovered that "a piece of insulating foam had torn from the external tank and struck the orbiter's left wing", which inevitably weakened the thermal protection ability, resulting in the vehicle breaking up upon reentry (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.).
Opportunity
As the second rover sent to Mars, Opportunity's (or affectionately nicknamed as Oppy) mission was to search for signs of water in ancient times. It "explored the Martian terrain for almost fifteen years, far outlasting her planned ninety day mission" (NASA, n.d.). It helped make many discoveries such as "evidence that long ago at least one area of Mars stayed wet for an extended period", which is important because it proved "that conditions could have been suitable for sustaining microbial life" (NASA, n.d.). Unfortunately, in June of 2018, Opportunity stopped communicating with Earth after a severe dust storm had passed its location. On February 13, 2019, Mission Control at NASA's JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) made their final attempt to try to communicate with Opportunity, which ultimately resulted in a failed attempt, at which NASA declared that the mission was complete.
Perseverance
Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18, 2021 with the mission to "seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock" to return to Earth (NASA, n.d.). Getting the rocks back to Earth will require a total of two missions, which "are currently being planned by NASA and the European Space Agency" (The Planetary Society, n.d.). In order to find signs of ancient life, it will "search for microbial fossils in rocks", as well as look for carbon-containing molecules" (The Planetary Society, n.d.). A small helicopter, named Ingenuity, also launched alongside Perseverance, and later on became the first helicopter to fly on another place beyond Earth. Because scientists didn't know whether flight was even possible on Mars, its mission was intended to be short-lived, but once is flew successfully, its mission was extended to explore Martian terrain near Perseverance, to scout possible locations for the probe to travel to, as well as locations that may be difficult for the probe to navigate through.
Thank you for taking the time to reach the end of the blog! We hope you learned something new! Make sure to like, comment, and share! As always, keep gazing skywards!
Bibliography
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Space Shuttle. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from
Loff, S. (2015, March 10). Space shuttle era. NASA. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/index.html
Magazine, S. (2021, February 22). Perseverance kicks off elaborate effort to bring Mars Rocks to Earth.
Smithsonian.com. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/perseverance-kicks-elaborate-effort-bring-mars-rocks-earth-180977056/
NASA. (n.d.). Mars 2020 perseverance rover. NASA. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
NASA. (n.d.). Mars rover opportunity - mars missions - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA. Retrieved June
5, 2022, from https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-exploration-rover-opportunity-mer
Perseverance, NASA's newest Mars Rover. The Planetary Society. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2022, from
https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/perseverance
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