En los albores del sistema solar, Marte podría haber presentado condiciones sorprendentemente similares a las de la Tierra. Esta fascinante posibilidad ha llevado a investigadores planetarios a enfocar su atención en el Planeta Rojo para obtener claves sobre la evolución de nuestro propio planeta. A través de diversas sondas en órbita y rovers que exploran la superficie marciana, los científicos están recopilando datos valiosos que podrían revelar cómo Marte pasó de ser un mundo potencialmente habitable a su estado actual, desértico y frío.
La investigación en Marte se centra en entender su geología, atmósfera y los signos de agua líquida en su pasado. Las sondas, como el Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, han proporcionado imágenes detalladas de la superficie, revelando antiguos lechos de ríos y posibles huellas de actividad volcánica. Los rovers, como Curiosity y Perseverance, están equipados con instrumentos para analizar muestras de suelo y roca, buscando signos de vida microbiana que alguna vez pudo haber existido.
Comprender la historia de Marte no solo nos ayuda a desentrañar los misterios de su pasado, sino que también ofrece una perspectiva sobre los procesos que moldearon la Tierra. Con cada nueva misión y descubrimiento, nos acercamos a responder preguntas fundamentales sobre la habitabilidad en otros planetas. La exploración de Marte podría no solo revelar secretos de nuestro vecino, sino también proporcionar pistas sobre el futuro de la humanidad en el cosmos.
#Marte, #ExploraciónEspacial, #CienciaPlanetaria
Marte, condiciones similares a la Tierra, sistema solar, investigación planetaria, sondas marcianas, rovers de Marte, habitabilidad, historia de Marte, geología marciana, agua en Marte.
La investigación en Marte se centra en entender su geología, atmósfera y los signos de agua líquida en su pasado. Las sondas, como el Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, han proporcionado imágenes detalladas de la superficie, revelando antiguos lechos de ríos y posibles huellas de actividad volcánica. Los rovers, como Curiosity y Perseverance, están equipados con instrumentos para analizar muestras de suelo y roca, buscando signos de vida microbiana que alguna vez pudo haber existido.
Comprender la historia de Marte no solo nos ayuda a desentrañar los misterios de su pasado, sino que también ofrece una perspectiva sobre los procesos que moldearon la Tierra. Con cada nueva misión y descubrimiento, nos acercamos a responder preguntas fundamentales sobre la habitabilidad en otros planetas. La exploración de Marte podría no solo revelar secretos de nuestro vecino, sino también proporcionar pistas sobre el futuro de la humanidad en el cosmos.
#Marte, #ExploraciónEspacial, #CienciaPlanetaria
Marte, condiciones similares a la Tierra, sistema solar, investigación planetaria, sondas marcianas, rovers de Marte, habitabilidad, historia de Marte, geología marciana, agua en Marte.
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00:00Mars, our planetary neighbor, is very cold and dry, and as its gravity is weak, its atmosphere is thin.
00:17When the probes began to visit the red planet, we obtained a more precise view of its surface,
00:23and scientists began to ask questions.
00:29Mars was once much warmer, there were rivers, and a long time ago it was able to house life.
00:45To try to reveal the secrets of the red planet, various innovative techniques have been applied.
00:53And although our knowledge of Martian geology, its atmosphere and climate have increased enormously,
01:01each new mission to Mars raises more questions than answers.
01:05We still do not know if Mars was able to house life at some point.
01:23UNLIMITED SPACE EXPLORATION
01:31UNLIMITED SPACE EXPLORATION
01:34MARS
01:38In 1877, the astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli created what he considered the most precise map of Mars ever made,
01:46and in it he indicated channels.
01:49At the beginning of the 20th century, the American astronomer Percival Lowell was convinced that the channels were evidence of the existence of a civilization on the red planet.
01:59Thus began the search for life on Mars.
02:04In 1962, the Soviet Union sent the first probe, the Mars M1, on an overflight mission.
02:11It was a bold project, and it failed.
02:14It was the first of many failures, both of the Soviet Union and of the United States.
02:22The rivalry of the Cold War was the motivation of these first missions.
02:27In 1971, NASA sent the Mariner 9 to Mars.
02:32It was the first probe to orbit around another planet.
02:36But scientists discovered that Mars was engulfed in a storm of planetary dust.
02:43The orbital photographs provided little more than a red cloud.
02:51The Mariner 9 was soon joined by two Soviet orbiters, both equipped with landing modules.
02:58The Mars 2 landing module crashed, but the Mars 3 module arrived intact on the surface, sent a confusing image, and stopped working.
03:09There were already three spacecraft orbiting around Mars, all observing a dusty and monotonous planet.
03:16The two Soviet probes were identical, but the American had a crucial difference in its design.
03:22While the Soviet orbiters began to photograph the planet following predetermined programs,
03:28NASA was able to order the Mariner 9 to wait, hoping that the dust would settle at some point.
03:38The atmosphere took months to clear up, but when it did, the Mariner 9 saw three craters protruding from the dust.
03:46They were the tops of gigantic volcanoes on a plateau called Tarsis.
03:53Soon more complex geological characteristics began to emerge.
03:57In some places the surface was full of craters,
04:01suggesting that the tectonic forces constantly renewing the surface of the Earth were not present on Mars.
04:08The volcanic activity that formed the largest volcanoes in the solar system had stopped billions of years ago.
04:17This allowed NASA scientists to compile a precise global map of Mars,
04:22and choose the places where the Viking probes would land in 1976.
04:32Viking 1 and 2 were identical orbiters, with modules that allowed them to successfully land on the surface.
04:40Both sent photographs of the Martian landscape.
04:44The main objective of the Viking program was to find signs of life.
04:50But today researchers believe that the three experiments to carry out the analysis had limitations.
04:58As researchers on Earth began to look for signs of life in extreme environments,
05:04they began to rethink where life could still exist on Mars.
05:08However, at that time most people thought that Mars was sterile, and the concept of life on Mars was abandoned.
05:17Mars Global Surveyor
05:23After a 20-year pause in Mars research,
05:27the Mars Global Surveyor entered orbit in 1996.
05:36The images it transmitted were clearer than any other image seen so far on the red planet.
05:44Although most Mars orbiters had been entrusted with the task of mapping the planet's surface,
05:50the situation had changed.
05:52The high-resolution images sent by the Mars Global Surveyor revealed rivers and even river deltas,
05:58but the impact craters suggested that nothing had flowed through those systems for billions of years.
06:05In July 1997 another probe arrived, the Mars Pathfinder.
06:10It was part of a new generation of missions driven by the new NASA administration under the motto
06:15Faster, Better and Cheaper.
06:24The idea was to cut development and budget deadlines,
06:28and although the risk of failure would increase,
06:31the reduction of costs would allow more missions.
06:38The Pathfinder probe would carry a small rover to the surface,
06:42and to do so, a radically innovative airbag technology was used.
06:47The technique was based more on car safety systems than on previous space missions.
06:54Instead of landing in the northern hemisphere of Mars, known as Ares Valis,
06:59it is one of the most rocky regions on the planet.
07:03But it was thought to be a safe area to land.
07:06It is believed that the diversity of rock types was due to a flood.
07:15The new landing technique worked perfectly,
07:18and served as proof of a concept that would be used in future missions.
07:29The Pathfinder consisted of a base equipped with three solar panels,
07:33which deployed like petals.
07:36It had sensors to measure atmospheric pressure,
07:39air temperature and wind speed,
07:42as well as a transmitter to communicate with the Earth.
07:47In addition, the Pathfinder acted as a base station for the Sojourner rover,
07:51which would explore the surroundings.
07:55The Sojourner was equipped with cameras and a spectrometer of alpha and X-rays.
08:00It was the first mission to have its own website.
08:03The rover provided thousands of images and important details
08:06about the atmosphere and Martian geology,
08:09and its popularity guaranteed more missions to Mars.
08:17The morning of April 7, 2001, another orbiter was launched to Mars.
08:27The Mars Odyssey probe was equipped with three primary instruments,
08:31and could act as a transmitting satellite
08:34between future missions to the surface of the Red Planet and the Earth.
08:38Upon arrival on Mars, it used a new technique to position itself in orbit.
08:42After firing a relatively short pulse from its engine,
08:45the Mars Odyssey entered a very elliptical orbit,
08:48which, in its maximum approximation,
08:51caused the planet's upper atmosphere to rub against it.
08:54This technique, called aerobraking,
08:57allowed the spacecraft to reach the surface of the Red Planet
09:00in a very short period of time.
09:03This technique allowed the spacecraft to reach the surface of the Red Planet
09:06in a very short period of time.
09:09This technique, called aerobraking,
09:12allowed the spacecraft to reach the surface of the Red Planet
09:15in a very short period of time.
09:18Today, the probe is still in operation,
09:21and has broken all records as the longest mission to Mars.
09:29In December 2003, a new visitor arrived on Mars.
09:33Using a Russian launcher,
09:36the European Space Agency sent the Mars Express,
09:39its first planetary explorer.
09:42It was equipped with a landing module called Beagle.
09:45It was equipped with a landing module called Beagle.
09:48Although it lost all contact with the landing module,
09:51the Mars Express continues to provide valuable data.
09:54The mission has been granted several extensions,
09:57the last one until 2020.
10:03Equipped with a high-resolution stereoscopic camera,
10:06the probe offered unique 3D images of the planet's surface.
10:09the probe offered unique 3D images of the planet's surface.
10:14The orbiter determined that the polar caps
10:17contain a mixture of frozen CO2 and ice water.
10:20contain a mixture of frozen CO2 and ice water.
10:24In the atmosphere, the Mars Express first detected methane,
10:27In the atmosphere, the Mars Express first detected methane,
10:30both gases deteriorate quickly exposed to sunlight,
10:33both gases deteriorate quickly exposed to sunlight,
10:36so on Mars there must be sources that produce them continuously.
10:39Methane and ammonia can rarely be produced in an inorganic way.
10:42Methane and ammonia can rarely be produced in an inorganic way.
10:45They are generally associated with the presence of life.
10:49A month after the entry into orbit of the Mars Express,
10:52a NASA landing module arrived on Mars,
10:55and three weeks later, a second identical spacecraft.
11:01They were the exploration rovers called Spirit and Opportunity.
11:04They were the exploration rovers called Spirit and Opportunity.
11:17Spirit, the first to land, had the Gusev crater as its target.
11:20Spirit, the first to land, had the Gusev crater as its target.
11:23Opportunity would land on the Meridian and Planum,
11:26on the opposite end of Mars.
11:30Opportunity would land on the Meridian and Planum,
11:33on the opposite end of Mars.
11:36Although they were much heavier than their predecessor Pathfinder,
11:39they used the same landing technique.
11:45Both landings were successful and reached their goal.
11:48Both landings were successful and reached their goal.
11:51Once landed, the spacecraft separated from the landing module
11:54and began to autonomously deploy its time panels and the mast of the cameras.
11:58Meanwhile, the team of the reaction propulsion laboratory was waiting.
12:01Meanwhile, the team of the reaction propulsion laboratory was waiting.
12:04The signals that confirmed the safe arrival of the spacecraft
12:07took 15 minutes to land.
12:14Many of these people had invested many years of their lives in this project,
12:17Many of these people had invested many years of their lives in this project,
12:20and the real mission had just begun.
12:24Both rovers were designed to operate for 90 Martian days.
12:27A solar day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than a terrestrial day.
12:30A solar day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than a terrestrial day.
12:33And to avoid confusion, the scientific team that operated the rovers
12:36referred to a Martian day as a sun.
12:42The mission designers knew the dust storms on Mars
12:45and thought that at some point they would cover the solar panels of the two rovers
12:48and thought that at some point they would cover the solar panels of the two rovers
12:51but they soon discovered that the winds of Mars cleaned the panels.
12:54but they soon discovered that the winds of Mars cleaned the panels.
13:00Soon, NASA announced that Opportunity had found evidence
13:03Soon, NASA announced that Opportunity had found evidence
13:06that confirmed that liquid water flowed through Mars in the past.
13:09They were photographs of the Meridian and Planum
13:12with stratified patterns on the rock that suggested sedimentation.
13:15The distribution of chlorine and bromine in that area
13:18was seen on its past as the shore of a salty sea.
13:25In April 2004, NASA announced that it would extend the missions of the rovers
13:28In April 2004, NASA announced that it would extend the missions of the rovers
13:31from 3 to 8 months.
13:34It would be the first of many extensions.
13:39The rovers were equipped with an abrasion tool
13:42to polish a portion of the surface of a rock
13:45in order to carry out a more detailed and non-polluted analysis of geological samples.
13:48in order to carry out a more detailed and non-polluted analysis of geological samples.
13:55Spirit did it for the first time in Atirondack,
13:58a rock in the Gusev crater.
14:04An innovation in planetary geology.
14:09Researchers had a hard time using the tool
14:12due to the reduction it meant in the rover's energy reserve.
14:15due to the reduction it meant in the rover's energy reserve.
14:18The rock was made up of olivine, pyroxene and magnetite,
14:21which made it very similar to the Earth's volcanic basalt.
14:24which made it very similar to the Earth's volcanic basalt.
14:27When Spirit's right front wheel stopped working,
14:30the engineers used a double of the rover
14:33to come up with a reversing technique
14:36that would allow the rover to drag its immobile wheel.
14:39This was the ground that offered the scientific team a new field of research.
14:42This was the ground that offered the scientific team a new field of research.
14:45The white or yellow deposits observed inside the crater
14:48were various types of salts that only form in the presence of hot water.
14:51were various types of salts that only form in the presence of hot water.
14:54In the Earth, hot water provides an environment
14:57in which microbes can thrive.
15:00Spirit stalled for another three years
15:03before getting stuck in loose sand.
15:06Once again, the engineers began to work with a replica
15:09in an identical situation.
15:12But nothing could free the rover,
15:15and it became considered a stationary research platform.
15:18They also tried to position the rover
15:21so that its solar panels could work more effectively.
15:24But even that was not possible.
15:27Spirit was last reported in March 2010.
15:30The Opportunity lasted until June 2018,
15:33when the dust blocked its solar panels.
15:40In March 2006,
15:43NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrived at Mars
15:46and began the already routine airbraking program.
15:49and began the already routine airbraking program.
15:52Although the procedure lasted about six months,
15:55fuel saving would allow the ship to operate on Mars until the 2030s.
15:58fuel saving would allow the ship to operate on Mars until the 2030s.
16:03One of the main functions of the new orbiter
16:06is that of a communication repeating station.
16:09Its three-meter antenna transmits in the ultra-high frequency band,
16:12which allows data to be transmitted at very high speeds.
16:15In November 2013, it had tripled the amount of data sent to Earth
16:18by all the other NASA missions together.
16:21by all the other NASA missions together.
16:27Its high-resolution camera began to reveal the surface of Mars
16:30in as little detail as possible.
16:33These are active dunes in the eastern region of Copra Tescasma,
16:39the polar region free of dry seasonal ice,
16:42again surrounded by dunes.
16:45In the southern hemisphere,
16:48holes in the residual carbon dioxide layer.
16:51The poles of Mars were arousing a lot of interest.
16:54To follow the water became the motto of NASA.
16:57To follow the water became the motto of NASA.
17:00To follow the water became the motto of NASA.
17:03The objective of the Phoenix landing module
17:06was the northern polar region,
17:09with the intention of increasing the information of the Odyssey,
17:12which suggested that there was frozen water under the surface,
17:15near the poles.
17:18which suggested that there was frozen water under the surface,
17:21near the poles.
17:24As the images had revealed that the region was unchangeable,
17:27it was considered unnecessary a rover.
17:30The landing module had been designed to decelerate
17:33by means of a parachute and with rocket propellers
17:36that would take the ship to the surface,
17:39unlike the three previous NASA rovers that had come bouncing.
17:42unlike the three previous NASA rovers that had come bouncing.
17:45Since a line of research suggested that the rocket fuel
17:48would contaminate the same area that the landing module should analyze.
17:51would contaminate the same area that the landing module should analyze.
17:54The ship waited 15 minutes to allow the dust to settle
17:57before deploying its solar panels.
18:03The Phoenix landed at the beginning of spring
18:06in the northern hemisphere of Mars,
18:09so that the solar panels received a lot of light
18:13In addition to the mast with cameras,
18:16the Phoenix included a meteorological station
18:19that recorded time on a daily basis.
18:22It had a wind indicator and pressure and temperature sensors.
18:25In addition, a lidar, oriented vertically,
18:28could observe the formation of fissures in the region
18:31and the snow that falls in the polar atmosphere.
18:37These phenomena had not been observed until then.
18:43The landing module also had a robotic arm
18:46that could dig half a meter into the ground
18:49and provide samples to the analyzer,
18:52a combination of eight high-temperature furnaces and a mass spectrometer.
18:55a combination of eight high-temperature furnaces and a mass spectrometer.
18:58During an excavation, the cameras captured a white substance
19:01that gradually disappeared.
19:04Given the temperatures and their duration,
19:07it could only be sublimated water ice after being exposed.
19:10Given the temperatures and their duration,
19:13it could only be sublimated water ice after being exposed.
19:16The soil was slightly alkaline
19:19and the presence of perchlorate, which kills bacteria,
19:22was not good news for those who expected to see Martian life.
19:25The Phoenix worked for two more months than planned
19:28before the arrival of winter completely shaded its solar panels.
19:32Although the planet kept underground deposits of ice,
19:35Although the planet kept underground deposits of ice,
19:38there was very little left on the surface.
19:41But now it was known that many of the geological characteristics
19:44of the red planet had been carved by water flows.
19:47The analysis of samples from all over the planet
19:50confirmed that the water, and nothing else,
19:53had caused these changes in the Martian landscape.
19:56had caused these changes in the Martian landscape.
20:01Mars had become more like the Earth,
20:04but it had lost the surface water and most of its atmosphere.
20:07but it had lost the surface water and most of its atmosphere.
20:10But there was still the question of life.
20:13Could it emerge in a warmer and wetter past
20:16and could it remain present under the surface?
20:19The next mission to Mars would be the most ambitious of NASA's so far.
20:22The Curiosity, a rover the size of a car,
20:25would operate with a nuclear battery,
20:28so it would be immune to the problems caused by dust,
20:31the Spirit and the Opportunity.
20:37Curiosity was launched in an A-5 from Cape Canaveral in November 2011.
20:40Curiosity was launched in an A-5 from Cape Canaveral in November 2011.
20:43One.
20:44Main engine started.
20:46Zero.
20:47And take off.
20:50In mid-2012, it entered the Martian atmosphere,
20:53heading for Crater Gain.
20:58From the reaction propulsion laboratory, they followed the entrance closely,
21:01but without being able to control what was happening.
21:06In the tenuous atmosphere of Mars,
21:08the parachute could only reduce the speed of the heavy ship
21:11by about 320 km per hour.
21:18As it approached the surface,
21:20the rover's descent stage fell from the airship
21:23and the rockets were activated.
21:25At that moment, the radar guided the landing module to the surface
21:28and a small camera captured images of the ground below the rover.
21:31and a small camera captured images of the ground below the rover.
21:36Then, the Curiosity descended through cabs from the descent stage.
21:39Then, the Curiosity descended through cabs from the descent stage.
21:42This technique, a kind of space crane,
21:45was used to prevent the rolled up dust
21:48from exposing the rover to unnecessary dangers.
21:56Landing confirmed.
22:00Everything had gone exactly as planned,
22:03and the American engineers were relieved.
22:10It had been the most precise landing ever made.
22:15Before the Curiosity could start working,
22:18its computer reviewed its systems
22:20to check that everything was working properly.
22:25A day later, the rover was able to deploy the mast of the cameras
22:28and the communication antennas.
22:31It is believed that the Gale crater is 3.5 billion years old
22:35and that its sediments were deposited first by the water
22:38and then by the wind.
22:44Now, NASA has a sophisticated mobile scientific laboratory on Mars,
22:48connected to the Earth
22:50through the most advanced communication link
22:53thanks to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
23:00The main objective of the rover is to discover
23:03if there ever existed, or still exist,
23:06adequate conditions for life on Mars.
23:11It is also collecting detailed information
23:13about the current conditions on the Red Planet,
23:16specifically, the levels of radiation
23:18that will affect possible manned missions.
23:24By analyzing the dust of several holes that it drilled,
23:27the Curiosity discovered sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen,
23:32phosphorus and carbon,
23:34all of them essential elements for life.
23:38In its six years on the surface of Mars,
23:41the Curiosity has traveled about 20 kilometers,
23:44but so much activity is taking its toll on it.
23:47It sends self-portraits routinely,
23:49mainly to assess its condition.
23:53Its wheels have suffered serious damage,
23:55which will undoubtedly contribute to changing the design of future rovers.
24:02Its computers are also having problems,
24:05but it is expected that in 2020
24:07a new set of missions will arrive on Mars
24:09that will continue to study the planet.
24:17There is an aspect of the Martian environment
24:19that has never been investigated,
24:21but is about to be addressed.
24:25The Mars InSight probe has concentrated
24:27in the Elysium Planitia plain,
24:29near the equator,
24:31to spend two years investigating the interior of the planet.
24:36It made an impeccable landing in November 2018.
24:41After deploying its solar panel,
24:43it spent several weeks selecting a suitable place
24:45to install a seismometer on the surface
24:48with which to monitor Martemotos.
24:52It is clear that Mars had a warm and humid past,
24:56but today it is cold and very dry.
24:58Knowing the geological activity of the planet
25:01will help us to know why Mars has changed.
25:07The InSight probe also introduced a thermal sensor
25:10under the surface to collect data
25:12on the heat flow from the core of the planet.
25:17Understanding the processes within Mars
25:19could teach us how the geological histories
25:22of Mars and Earth began to diverge.
25:49NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology