The exploration robots that NASA has sent to Mars will be alone for the next two weeks, as a natural phenomenon (Mars-Earth-Sun alignment) will prevent the space agency from communicating with the instruments.
The inability to communicate is because Mars and Earth have reached positions in their orbits that put them on opposite sides of the sun, in an alignment known as solar conjunction. This means that the Earth, the Sun, and the Red Planet are all in the same line. NASA says that during this time, it is dangerous to try to send commands to monitoring instruments on Mars because interference from the sun could cause damage. The sun emits a large amount of electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves. These radio waves can interfere with communication signals between NASA and its robots.
See also: NASA Curiosity rover: River remains discovered on Mars – Was there life after all?
To avoid any problems, NASA is taking a break from communicating with Mars until the planets move into more suitable positions. The communication outage began Saturday and will last until November 25. A solar conjunction of Mars occurs every two years, and while the rovers will be able to send basic status updates throughout the period, they will be completely silent for the two days when the sun completely blocks Mars.
This means the rovers Perseverance and Curiosity, the Ingenuity helicopter, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Odyssey and MAVEN orbiters will not receive commands for a while. Their instruments will continue to collect data, as they are programmed to do, but they will not send that information back to Earth until this period has passed.
See also: Solar sails: Tiny spacecraft will reach Mars very quickly
NASA: Mars Exploration
The goals of missions to Mars are many. One of the main ones is to search for traces of life on the red planet. Scientists hope to discover evidence of the existence of ancient or current life on the planet through the analysis of geological formations, atmospheric conditions and samples collected.
Another goal of the missions is to understand the geological history of Mars. The missions provide information about the composition of the soil, geological layers, and past climate conditions of the planet. This knowledge helps us understand the evolution of Mars and compare it to Earth.
See also: NASA Perseverance rover: Video from Belva crater on Mars
Finally, NASA's exploration missions to Mars aim to prepare for future human missions. Understanding the planet is essential for developing technologies and techniques that will enable a safe and effective human presence on Mars.
Source: www.engadget.com
