What will become of the lost Mars Rover "opportunity" through millions of years?

Date:

2019-02-18 20:45:14

Views:

3419

Rating:

1Like 0Dislike

Share:

What will become of the lost Mars Rover Source:

The death of the brave fell a very hard-working "opportunity", who worked on the red planet instead of the planned 90 days as much as 15 years. Its solar panels are likely covered with a thick layer of dust, eventually depriving the Rover energy. Each spacecraft has its own resource, which, as you might guess, can be quite limited. Space is not spared. For example, we are informed about what is sent into space sports car Elon musk was seriously battered by radiation. However, it should be understood that in the construction of the same electric vehicle uses organic fibers and plastics. The Rovers are going from a much more wear-resistant materials. On this basis, the question arises: what will happen to the Mars Rover "opportunity" through hundreds, thousands and millions of years?

Says Professor of planetary science at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a member of the scientific team of the Rover "opportunity" Jeff Mersch, honestly recognizing that is not an expert in the designs of the Mars Rover, "opportunity" is also used a number of plastic elements, for example, in wire insulation. And it may ultimately decompose under the action of solar radiation.

"overall, I think the Rover will remain in the condition in which it is now," — he says.

If one day people will be able to find him, then, by this time, he might be a little covered with dust, adds Mersch. "One day" in this context means that the Rover "see" any people who set foot on the red planet over the next several hundred years, as planned, NASA says planetary scientist.

According to the scientist, through a later date, the Rover covered over with a thick layer of dust. "Opportunity" could work on Mars for so long in the first place because quite often the Martian wind constantly blew the dust from its solar. But if we are talking about a longer period, the fate of the Rover is not entirely clear. In the end, win or dust, which, obviously, will accumulate, or the wind that can blow.

"At the same time, I doubt the Rover will be completely covered with dust" — adds Mersch.

What will happen with the remnants of the Rover in a few million years? On the Ground, all dead sooner or later, is buried. But this is due to tectonic processes and movement of water – factors that do not exist on modern Mars. However, the Rover met the same fate, says Mersch.

"If for a long time near the remains of the Rover will fall meteorites, rising from the surface dust in the end, it will fully hide under a", — adds the scientist.

If the dust will accumulate, the Rover will turn into "fossils", like the bones of dinosaurs on the Earth, and landed here millions of years aliens can seriously be surprised to find an ancient artifact of human history.

At the press conference dedicated to the completion of the mission "opportunity", the speakers explained that NASA has no plans ever to return the Rover back to Earth. Send especially for this expedition would be in this case very wasteful, especially considering the fact that his job, he still did.

Because people want to one day settle on Mars, adds Mersch, it is likely that the Rover ever will still be found and restored. Maybe someday he will take his place in the Martian Museum, and, perhaps, around the place where he stayed, erect a monument or even a national Park.

If the people on Mars did not fly, "opportunity" will remain in place forever. Although the latter option is unlikely. Over millions of years the remains of the Rover can be destroyed by a falling meteorite.

To Follow the most interesting from the world of science and technology with the help of our channel .

Recommended

The Americans on the moon: what everyone should know?

The Americans on the moon: what everyone should know?

the Upcoming cosmonautics day is my favorite holiday. It marks the triumph of the human mind: in just four thousand years Homo Sapiens went from hunter-gatherers to space explorers. 12 April 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in ...

Why are some galaxies spiral shaped?

Why are some galaxies spiral shaped?

you Know what surprised me the most? The fact that we perceive the surrounding world as it is. Animals, plants, the laws of physics and the cosmos are perceived by many people as something so mundane and boring that they invent fairies, ghosts, monst...

Astronomers were able to see the death of another star system

Astronomers were able to see the death of another star system

In the cosmic ocean drifts a lot of mysteries about the existence of which we are unaware. One of these was uncovered five years ago, when astronomers have discovered a lonely star at a distance of 570 light years from Earth, the brightness of which ...

Comments (0)

This article has no comment, be the first!

Add comment

Related News

Russia is developing a tourist spaceplane

Russia is developing a tourist spaceplane

Russia is developing a suborbital tourist spaceplane. About it in conversation with journalists of RIA Novosti news Agency the Russian investment forum in Sochi, held February 14-15, said Alexander Begak, General designer of NPO "...

NASA wants to buy at the Roscosmos two seats for flights to the ISS

NASA wants to buy at the Roscosmos two seats for flights to the ISS

NASA intends to take its astronauts to the International space station on the Dragon Crew vehicle from SpaceX. He is still in the testing stage, and unmanned launch has been repeatedly postponed — first it was scheduled for 7 Janu...

What do people need to firmly establish themselves in space?

What do people need to firmly establish themselves in space?

We take for granted that we live on a planet rich in life. More than 14 million identified species, high biological diversity on Earth is simply amazing. We depend on this diversity for food and resources, which in turn allow us t...

Media: Russia is considering the possibility of mining on the moon

Media: Russia is considering the possibility of mining on the moon

According to the RIA Novosti news Agency referring to a source in the rocket and space industry, Russia is considering the possibility of mining minerals on the moon. At the beginning of 2030-ies on the Earth's satellite is planne...

Why not save the Rover opportunity through the Rover's

Why not save the Rover opportunity through the Rover's "Kyuriositi"

on Wednesday, the us space Agency NASA announced the official end of the mission, the Rover "opportunity". Research robot stopped communicating back in June 2018, after the red planet was a global dust storm. This week on Tuesday ...

Elon Musk and SpaceX have filed a lawsuit against NASA

Elon Musk and SpaceX have filed a lawsuit against NASA

this is gonna be a bit of a scandal. and his company SpaceX sued the space Agency NASA to court — Yes, his direct employer and partner, after all, under contract with NASA, the company Mask supplies supplies to the ISS using its F...

An experiment on the capture of space debris using the harpoon was a success

An experiment on the capture of space debris using the harpoon was a success

the Pilot of a British probe RemoveDEBRIS successfully coped with the second part of the test systems for collecting debris, the first produced in space conditions the capture of the object by using a harpoon on the website in the...

China began developing the first space solar power station

China began developing the first space solar power station

China wants to go to a whole new level of production of renewable energy. Chinese scientists plan to build in earth orbit the first ever space solar power. Its going to be placed at a height of 36 000 kilometers above the Earth, w...

NASA is going to overtake Russia and China landed a man on the moon in 2028

NASA is going to overtake Russia and China landed a man on the moon in 2028

In November last year, the space Agency NASA has selected 9 private aerospace companies that will compete for the right to development and delivery of robotic spacecraft, scientific equipment and other instruments to the moon in t...

New mission NASA: the probe will study the past Universe

New mission NASA: the probe will study the past Universe

In September 2016, the space Agency, NASA opened applications for the following missions in the framework of astrophysics Astrophysics Explorers Program. Three years later, the decision was finally passed in 2023, the orbit of the...

The InSight probe is preparing to drill a 5 metre hole on Mars

The InSight probe is preparing to drill a 5 metre hole on Mars

Research InSight lander space Agency NASA continues to prepare for the early science phase of its mission. According to the official website of the Agency, the lander deployed on the surface of the red planet the second tool, with...

An economical method of delivering multi-ton loads on Mars

An economical method of delivering multi-ton loads on Mars

The heaviest spacecraft brought to Mars, is the Rover "Curiosity". Weight Autonomous science laboratory is about one ton. Sending more ambitious missions to the Red planet, and in the future people will require the use of heavier ...

What will the Mars satellite MAVEN in 2020?

What will the Mars satellite MAVEN in 2020?

For the past four years, the spacecraft is carefully studied the atmosphere of Mars. All this time he flew a distance of 196 6 km from the planet's surface, but in 2020 he will take on the additional task, for which she needs to f...

Elon Musk has sounded the approximate cost of moving to Mars

Elon Musk has sounded the approximate cost of moving to Mars

According to the founder and head of the private space company SpaceX, once the flight to Mars will be available a lot number of people. Suffice it to sell their homes on the Land and invest the money in space move. In addition, M...

Mars One is closed. The organization behind the project of colonization of Mars, went bankrupt

Mars One is closed. The organization behind the project of colonization of Mars, went bankrupt

Remember the organization of Mars One? The same one that promised to send people to colonize Mars and make it a real reality TV show? So, it is bankrupt, according to the financial documents that were published online. They indica...

SpaceX is going to build a 1 million satellite ground stations in the framework of the project Starlink

SpaceX is going to build a 1 million satellite ground stations in the framework of the project Starlink

the SpaceX Company has applied to the Federal communications Commission (FCC), which describes a plan to create an unearthly infrastructure for its satellite network Starlink, according to GeekWire, citing relevant . As specified ...

A new mystery for scientists: why the asteroid Ultima Thule has a tapered shape?

A new mystery for scientists: why the asteroid Ultima Thule has a tapered shape?

At the beginning of 2019, the spacecraft New Horizons flew past the distant object, the studied people . In late January, researchers showed a quality of which everyone has the impression that it has the shape of a dumbbell. It tu...

Telescope

Telescope "Hubble" showed incredible weather of Uranus and Neptune

As on Earth, Uranus and Neptune have a change of seasons, which is believed to the planetary community, identifies some characteristics of their atmosphere. However, the seasons on these planets lasts much longer than on Earth, st...

Roscosmos would like to send Russian cosmonauts to the moon in 2031, but there is a problem

Roscosmos would like to send Russian cosmonauts to the moon in 2031, but there is a problem

the First manned flight to the moon Russian astronauts will take place in 2031, reports RIA Novosti news Agency, citing caught at his disposal the document, the Institute — the brain research Institute of the state Corporati...

Presented

Presented "the largest rocket engine", made by 3D printing

In the market orbital launches will soon be a new player. Until SpaceX or at least the same Blue Origin is far from it, but the start was quite cheerful. Private Scottish startup Orbex has introduced the world's largest rocket eng...