Amid the on-going pandemic mankind has been
active doing other things besides fighting the virus. Despite the near
standstill that the world was forced to undergo, humans still have to live and
let business continue as usual. Mars has come into limelight and Venus has
sprung a surprise.
Mars
The red planet gives a small window after every
26 months when the distance between Earth and Mars is the least. A lot of
missions are heading to Mars this season. It could be that Mars might see some
traffic jams. NASA is sending the Perseverance Rover to Mars. This rover is
also accompanied by a small helicopter which will set the tone for future
aerial exploration missions.
The next is the Russian-European ExoMars rover
named Rosalind Franklin. The vehicle carries instruments to detect life on the
red planet. This time the UAE is also sending their vehicle to Mars riding
piggy back on the Japanese H-IIA rocket. This is the Hope Mars Mission or
Emirates Mars Mission. The UAE mission will study meteorological layers on Mars
and the presence of different gases in Martian atmosphere. China also is
sending a mission this time round. The Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter will
be accompanied by a rover. The two vehicles will carry instruments to study the
planet and gather scientific data.
There is no dearth of human presence on Mars. There
are the Curiosity rover and Insight Lander. In the air we have six orbiters.
NASA's MAVEN, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey. Mars Express and
Euro-Russian ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and India's Mars Orbiter Mission.
The reason why Mars is in focus is because countries
do not want to be left behind in the race for Mars. It will still take another
decade for human explorers to complete preparations for setting foot there. But
there could be international collaborations to go to the red planet. If you
have proven technology for space travel or planetary exploration, you could be
offered a collaboration or partnership with any of the leading spacefaring
nations.
Mars is not going to become economically viable
any time soon. But that is not going to stop any country from taking its
chances by joining hands to explore it. If Mars springs a surprise in an exotic
material resource, nobody wants to be left behind. If you have a seat at this
high table, you will be counted. In any international agreement to exploit
resources in space, the countries which have proven prowess in space
exploration will definitely call the shots.
Venus
One more good news coming from the space industry
is that some interesting chemicals were detected on Venus. The planet which is
considered a twin of our earth is difficult to explore to say the least. Its
atmosphere is very corrosive and its surface temperature is extremely high. About
450 degrees centigrade. Also the atmospheric pressure there is about ninety
times that on Earth. It is not surprising that all the spacecraft sent to that
planet fell prey to this inhospitable environment.
Russia is the only country to land a craft on
Venus The Venera series of explorers, could withstand the heat and the
corrosion on the planet for only about two hours. To circumvent this problem
NASA has a facility called GEER (Glen Extreme Environment Rig) in Ohio. Here
the Venetian atmosphere is created inside a chamber and materials are tested
for their capability to withstand the conditions.
The reason why Venus has come into focus is
because even in these inhospitable conditions, tell tale presence of certain
chemicals point to the possibility of life. Researchers are skeptical to say
the least. But again the possibility is not being ignored out of hand.
On September 14 a report published in the journal
Nature Astronomy revealed that a group of scientists had discovered the
molecule phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. This molecule is made up of
phosphorous and Hydrogen atoms and was detected by the James Clerk Maxwell
Telescope in Hawaii. This telescope
observes in the far infrared and microwave wavelengths.
Phosphine on earth is released by living organisms
which live in oxygen free environments. Scientists say they have not been able
to create the gas in any other way using an alternative mechanism. One
possibility is that there may be microbial life in the upper atmosphere of the
planet as the temperature there is much lower than on the surface. At about 83
degree Fahrenheit one can expect to find life.
In order to get answers to their questions,
scientists say, a mission to Venus is necessary. One which measures atmospheric
gases on the planet and mass spectrometers to detect complex molecules
associated with life. Venus being low on the priority list of major space
agencies has not had much exposure to scientific study. Perhaps the discovery
of phosphine will change that.
