Documental Exploración espacial sin límites- Marte
Al principio de la vida del sistema solar, Marte parece haber tenido condiciones similares a las de la Tierra. Los investigadores planetarios han estado apuntando a Marte para comprender mejor cómo se desarrolló nuestro propio planeta. Observamos las sondas que orbitan alrededor de Marte y los rovers que exploran su superficie.
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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