Path to Mars
When we talk about sending rovers, landers, drones or a satellite to Mars or any other celestial body it takes more than just launch, meaning we see the process of sending probes to Mars as just launching a rocket set it in the right path and there we go but this is not as simple as that. This process is long, requires discipline, patience, consistency and perfection, it includes combined efforts of scientists and engineers to build and test the launch vehicle as there are no chances of mistake, the smallest defect needs to be taken care of because it can cause loss of billions of dollars and time. So today we will know the whole process behind a perfect journey to Mars.
How do rockets reach Mars?
Pre-launch preparation
After selection of the objectives of mission, date of launch, landing site and after getting approval by the government, the construction of payload and rocket begins. Funding for missions is the only thing limiting human exploration. According to the weight of payload rockets are designed so that they can lift it with optimum usage of fuel. Parallel to rockets, rovers and landers are also assembled in the laboratory to meet mission requirements. Once the rover is assembled, it is tested by stimulating environmental conditions like temperature and pressure. After completion of the test phase the rover along with the lander [ Lander are basically used as a shell to deploy rovers safely on surface or in some cases rovers are deployed by a special spacecraft equipped with thrusters known as ‘skycrane’, this method enables the rover to make soft landing and also solves problems of excess weight of payload. Landers can also be useful for taking images and studying surroundings ], is then shipped to the rocket assembly building near the launch site where it is mounted on the rocket. Once the whole rocket is assembled along with booster rockets it is sent to the launch pad using large vehicles known as ‘Crawler’.
Launch
Rocket is now at the launch pad ready for launch, final weather checks are done (if weather conditions are not suitable then launch can be delayed within the launch window). Launch phase begins when the rocket transfers to internal power i.e. all electronics of the spacecraft runs on power of its own batteries and ends with declaring it stable and gets ready to lift off.
Rocket launch is a multistage process in which a booster rocket is the first and very important stage, at the time of Liftoff they are mainly used to provide extra thrust and are separated before the rocket leaves Earth’s atmosphere. Booster rockets can be reused as a method used by SpaceX in Falcon 9 rockets; this saves money as well as resources. After leaving Earth’s atmosphere, the rocket is set to orbit Earth, which is known as parking orbit. This is where second stage ignition begins which sets the vehicle in trajectory towards Mars. These all maneuvers are managed by the ground control center. It takes almost at least 7 months (with powerful rockets, at present) to reach mars and then comes the most challenging part.
Approach to landing
This phase is only six minutes long but very important as it has to pass through the atmosphere of mars where its velocity will decrease to 19000 km/s to 0. Third stage of the rocket is separated and the velocity of the craft is to be reduced. This phase begins approximately 45 days before descent. Now the craft is ready to descend and starts to decrease its orbit till it starts falling towards Mars. Like Earth, Mars also has an atmosphere but it is less dense. Although this atmosphere is thin, the friction caused by it is enough to burn the craft to ashes (temperature can go upto 1500 degrees Celsius), so it is equipped with a heat shield. It is necessary to keep the shield in proper position during the descent so the rover/lander remains safe and this is done with the help of small thrusters. Heat shield also acts as a large aerobrake and slows the lander to a speed of 1600 km/s. At this point a supersonic parachute is deployed specially designed to withstand high velocity, heat shield is ejected and landers retro rockets are fired to bring velocity down to zero. Now the rover is lowered down by a craft known as sky crane (method used in landing of Curiosity and Perseverance) which then fly away from the rover.
Now the rover prepares itself to perform tasks assigned to it and all data is sent to space centers on Earth. So this is the whole process in brief there are many small maneuvers performed during its cruising phase from earth to mars to correct its trajectory. The mission is possible because of the combined efforts of members who build rover and rocket, members who control and maintain rover. Mission of the rover ends when it run out of its radioactive fuel or due to any technical malfunction.
In a few decades humans will colonize Mars and other planets and it will be memorable as these small steps lead us there.
“Mars is there, waiting to be reached.”
-Buzz Aldrin
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