The probe Mars Lander ready for landing on Red planet
The spacecraft Mars Lander Schiaparelli will land on the surface of Mars missions ExoMars - a joint venture between the European space Agency (ESA) and the Russian state Corporation Roscosmos.
In 2014, NASA's Mars Rover Curiosity found a big spike in methane. ESA scientists hope that ExoMars will be able to shed some light on what may be the cause. Schiaparelli will remain in orbit, trying to learn more about methane and other gases on Mars. Schiaparelli designed to test flight - 2020 ExoMars, which will send a Rover on Mars. But, Schiaparelli will also work for several days, measuring wind speed, temperature, humidity, pressure and the strength of the electric field on the surface of the planet. It will also collect a series of images in the final stages of descent.
Senior scientific Advisor at ESA, mark Mccaughrean, told CNN that the lander will enter a world of dust storms. It is believed that dust particles bumping into each other create a static charge that creates a cloud that can cover the entire planet. The unit will explore exactly this electric field, explained Mccaughrean.
The spacecraft cannot be controlled in real-time and plunges through the thin Martian atmosphere at 1,700 km / h (1000 mph), protected by a heat shield. The parachute will be deployed when Schiaparelli will still be moving at a speed of 250 km / h (150 mph) in the last 30 seconds of the descent. The probe also has an area of flexion, to help soften the landing.
Scientists have great hopes for the ExoMars mission 2020. The Rover will be able to drill 2 meters into the Martian surface to look for signs of life that might exist today or in the past.
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