After a series of successful space missions In the past year, 2021 promises some exciting new international exploration projects.
Three countries have launched spacecraft designed to explore Mars in 2021.
The US space agency NASA expects its explorer, named Perseverance, to land on the Red Planet on February 18. The explorer, or rover, is on a mission to “search for signs of life and collect rock and earth. samples, ”Says NASA.
Perseverance is NASA’s fifth Mars explorer. It carries a small experimental helicopter called Ingenuity. The device would be the first to test the capabilities of such a craft on another planet. A major experiment will test a device designed to capture carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and convert it into oxygen.
The Chinese Tianwen-1 spacecraft launched last July on a mission to search Mars for signs of water. It is also expected to reach Mars in February. The spacecraft will attempt to land on Utopia Planitia, a large flat area in the northern half of the planet. Once there, Tianwen-1 will deploy a rover for reconnaissance.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched their Hope Probe in July 2020. The explorer will also reach the Red Planet next month. The country describes Hope as “the first probe to provide a complete picture of the atmosphere of Mars and its layers. “
The mission will study climate and weather activity in Mars’ lower atmosphere. Hope will also observe and study hydrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere of Mars, the UAE space agency said.
New space vehicles to be tested
Boeing is expected to conduct another unmanned flight test of its Starliner spacecraft. The company was chosen by NASA – along with America’s SpaceX – for its Commercial Crew Program. The program uses private spacecraft to transport American astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX has already completed two successful manned missions to the ISS.
If Boeing’s unmanned test goes well, the company is expected to proceed with its first Starliner manned test flight.
NASA said it plans to make final preparations for the maiden flight of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for a possible launch sometime in the fall. The flight would be the first unmanned test flight for SLS and Orion. The goal is to complete a month-long mission around the moon.
The test is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024. The long-term goal of the program is to establish a continuous human presence on the moon.
NASA tests planetary defenses
In late July, NASA says it will launch its first “planetary defense test” asteroids. The mission is called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). It will send a spacecraft to deliberately collide with an asteroid at high speed in an attempt to change the asteroid’s orbit in space. The target is a near-Earth asteroid called Didymos. The operation will be just a defense test power, since Didymos does not pose a threat to Earth.
In October, NASA plans to launch its Lucy space mission. The operation aims to study a population of unusual objects orbiting Jupiter, known as the Trojan asteroids. The space agency says the mission will involve a 12-year journey to eight different asteroids.
Also in October, NASA plans to launch its James Webb Space Telescope, which has been delayed several times. It is NASA’s replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in use for 30 years.
The James Webb is a large infrared telescope with a length of almost seven meters mirror for observing space. NASA says the mission is designed to look deeper into space and provide more answers about the universe’s past than any other spacecraft.
I am Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and NASA. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.
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Words in this story
mission – n. the flight of a spacecraft to perform a particular task or job
sample – n. a small amount of something that provides information about where it was taken from
probe – n. a vehicle used to examine or observe something closely
low – n. a level of something spread over an area
asteroid – n. small planets or space rocks that orbit the sun
power – n. the ability to perform a particular job or task
mirror – n. a piece of glass that reflects light or images