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Posted by tourdemars to Mars Express at April 23, 2004 11:58 AM
A spindly radar antenna with the ambitious aim of revealing any water or ice buried below the Martian surface is set to be deployed Monday aboard the orbiting spacecraft Mars Express. MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) is the seventh and final instrument on the European Space Agency probe to be switched on since it arrived in December, and will take 10 days to set up. Its main antenna, composed of two 20-metre segments, will act as a 40-metre-long divining rod that will scout for water as deep as a few kilometres below ground.TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.marsnews.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/459
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is due to launch in 2005. What would be the point if the data from the Mars express will do the job of finding under ground water resources.
Why waste the Money?
Should we not be instead build on the knowledge gained from what ever source rather than repeating things just because it was not done by Nasa.
Update the mission probe or do not launch it. Save some Money....
Posted by: Harold LaValley at April 23, 2004 12:12 PM
Mars Express will assist in learning about the underground deposits of water, the geological 'hypothesis' of underground caverns. The existance of fractures and fissures that probably exists in various terrains, and the possibility of some of the ocean existing within the crustal areas of the planet, as a underground aquifer system. As a reference: the Ozark and the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifers.
Looking forward to reading and comprehending the scientific papers that will occur from the data that is gathered. That is why there are librarys at educational facilities, all of which is freely accessible.
Posted by: JWeikle at April 23, 2004 01:26 PM
Nasa's instrument (SHARAD) is actually more sensitive than Mars Express's MARSIS and will detect water (if it is there) far nearer to the surface than MARSIS - so it is not a repeat of MARSIS but more of a refinement.
Posted by: BB at April 23, 2004 02:36 PM
Good points Harold, Iv'e had the same thoughts myself. However, considering the success rate of martian missions...it wouldn't hurt to have a back-up. Mars Express was very cheaply built and if anything goes wrong, theres no fixing it.
Posted by: Zach at April 23, 2004 05:46 PM
Points taken on the Nasa Reconnaissance Orbiter versus the European express Radar imaging tool for below ground water searches. The difference is kind of like looking to dig a surface well versus drilling an artesian. Both have there respective needs If we are to stay and colonize mars. Surface water wells have more chances for contamination than that of the artesian type.
Posted by: Harold LaValley at April 23, 2004 06:30 PM
I am glad to see that another suborbital flight license has been issued. Now we have two real companies and there rockets viing for the prize. More importantly maybe a steady business to lower prices to flying into space for the rest of us.
Posted by: Harold LaValley at April 23, 2004 06:54 PM