Contact: Gary Polakovic (323) 527-7770 or polakovi@usc.edu
The Mars rover will bore deeper into the planet’s surface
Madhu Thangavelu is a professor of astronautical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC School of Architecture. He’s an expert in the design of complex space projects, including space stations and exploratory missions.
“For the first time, we will be looking closely at the Martian surface. My hope for this mission is that we learn if there is —or ever was— life on Mars. It’s the holy grail for scientists to know if we are the exception or if the universe is teeming with life,” Thangavelu said.
He added:
- This Mars mission costs about $2.4 billion and is years in the making.
- A rocket to Mars can only launch every other year when an alignment of the planets permits the most efficient route.
- It takes 2 to 24 minutes to communicate with equipment on Mars via ultrahigh-frequency band electromagnetic waves.
- The Perseverance rover is a 1-ton, nuclear-powered mobile laboratory that operates on 100 watts of energy — comparable to an indoor light bulb.
- The robot rover has sturdy wheels, a zoom camera, a power drill and a helicopter drone called Ingenuity.
Contact: mthangav@usc.edu
@MadhuThangavelu
The race to Mars involves the human race working together
Anita Sengupta is an associate professor of astronautics at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and a former engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She’s an expert in spacecraft design for interplanetary exploration and was responsible for the supersonic parachute system of the Curiosity rover that landed on Mars in 2012.
“Space agencies around the world are working together toward the goal of sending people to Mars. I think it will happen in my lifetime if we work together. It takes a global village of explorers to share costs and leverage engineering expertise,” Sengupta said.
She added:
- Landing the Perseverance rover on Mars is challenging; the deceleration forces are more than 10 times Earth’s gravity, and the entry vehicle exterior will exceed 3500 degrees F.
- The vehicle decelerates from about 13,000 mph to less than 1 mph in less than 7 minutes.
- The rover must navigate hazardous terrain to reach a landing zone of 8.7 to 9.9 miles.
- All the rover components must work right the first time, and they will be tested together for the first time on landing day, Feb. 18, 2021.
- On Mars, the rover will attempt to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen to support humans in an experiment called MOXIE.
Contact: Anitasen@usc.edu or (818) 58DRSEN
@Dr_Astro
The Mars mission focus is to probe for signs of life
Ken Nealson is an emeritus professor of Earth science at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He is an expert in astrobiology, microbial life in extreme environments and the evolution of life in the universe. He’s also a member of the science team for the 2020 Mars mission.
“Astrobiology is core to this mission. I would bet there’s no life on the surface of Mars today — it’s an extremely hostile environment — but there’s excitement we’re going to find evidence whether there ever was life in the past on Mars,” Nealson said.
He added:
- Mars was once a watery planet with conditions that could have supported life.
- The Perseverance rover’s destination is the Jezero crater, a protected microenvironment that was once flooded.
- The rover will drill into the surface, cache the samples and leave them for pick up by a future mission.
- Advanced labs on Earth will be needed to thoroughly test samples and answer once and for all if life existed on Mars.
Contact: knealson@usc.edu
Mars colonization is the mission for the next generation
Kenneth Phillips is curator for Aerospace Science at the California Science Center and an adjunct professor of the practice of physics and astronomy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He’s an expert in aeronautics, space exploration and science education.
“For students and young people, the Mars mission is an adventure that’s getting more exciting as we inch our way farther into the solar system with the goal to put boots on the ground on another planet. We need to sustain that work, and this is a moment to capture imaginations so that highly motivated young people around the world commit to the adventure, pick up the baton and carry it forward,” Phillips said.
He added:
- Humans haven’t traveled beyond the moon, and a Mars mission is about 100 times more difficult.
- Mars is particularly inhospitable, with no breathable atmosphere, temperature extremes and lethal radiation.
- This Mars mission is a critical step toward a greater understanding of the red planet and what humans can expect when we arrive.
- The engineering challenges ahead need solutions — a task for the next generation of space scientists.
Contact: phil156@usc.edu or kphillips@californiasciencecenter.org
