Contact with Curiosity may be lost during its descent to the Martian surface

As NASA train for theAugust 6 landing of the Curiosity roveron Mars , its scientists have made the disturbing realization that communication will likely be lost during itsharrowing seven minute descentto the aerofoil . Engineers impute the shift to a critical support artificial satellite , Odyssey , which is presently stationed in arena around the red planet . But despite the reversal , NASA is assuring the world that it wo n’t regard the landing .

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The job has to do with the positioning of Odyssey during the time of the bloodline . Unless they can shift the planet in the next three weeks , NASA will lose the signal to the rover literally one minute before making its historical landing .

NASA assign the glitch toadjustments made on July 11when working on Odyssey ’s attitude control system . The satellite moved slightly in its ambit and then put itself into a temporary safe mode . By July 13 , NASA had institutionalise commands to the satellite , taking it out of its self - bring down hibernation and reorienting it to point down at Mars .

But now , NASAmay have to waitan excruciating 1.5 to 2 hours before Odyssey pretend a passing game over the Curiosity landing place website .

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The rover , which consider 900 kg , will stumble the top of the Martian atmosphere at 20,000 km/h ( 13,000 mph ) and chop-chop slow down to a rate of one meter per secondly prior to do a soft touchdown . The organisation is completely self-directed and no external interventions are ask ; the artificial satellite bug should have no wallop on the landing place itself , just in how the data gets send off back to Earth and how timely that data is .

That say , NASA could brook to lose decisive information from the descending spacecraft . Writing in the BBC , Jonathan Amosexplains :

Engineers have built a complex EDL organisation that includes a supersonic chute and a rocket - powered crane . Everything must sour on cue stick and in episode .

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It was have a bun in the oven that the Odyssey orbiter would track the whole descent , relaying UHF signals from the wanderer right up to the landing and for a few minutes beyond .

But the spacecraft of late experience a response roulette wheel failure .

This machine is used to manage the artificial satellite ’s orientation course and impulse in outer space , and because engineers have been investigating the military issue they have not as yet moved Odyssey back into the right range to see the full landing succession – and they may not do so .

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But all is not lost as far as tracking data point is concerned . concord to Popular Science , the “ senesce ” Mars Odyssey is one of two other ballistic capsule NASA plan on using to cover Curiosity ’s descent , namely the Europeans ’ Mars Express satellite ( which will also be in a poor posture ) , and NASA ’s other planet , the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter ( MRO ) . However , the MRO is only capable of “ store and forward ” potentiality , which mean that it ’ll transmit data to Earth about three to four minute after the origin .

All this say , NASA is still holding out for Odyssey . They may be able to pull off its domain in time for the descent . Hmm , as if the seven minutes of terror is n’t going to be nail - bite enough .

origin : NASA , BBC , Popular Science , Discovery News .

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