With America’s sixth successful unmanned landing on Mars, the Russians appear to be feeling a bit of “space envy.”
Andrei Kislyakov writes for Russia’s Novosti news service:
“It seems that the Americans take the Red Planet quite seriously. On May 26, NASA’s Phoenix Lander touched down in the vicinity of the planet’s North Pole. … People might wonder, how is America’s main partner – and rival in space – faring? … Why is it American craft which are doggedly gnawing at the surface of this distant planet, having outlived their projected life-spans many times over? What prevents us, who have developed so many ambitious plans, from building and sending unmanned missions to Mars.”
By Andrei Kislyakov
Translated By Igor Medvedev
May 26, 2008
Russia – Novosti – Original Article (Russian)
MOSCOW: It seems that the Americans take the Red Planet quite seriously. On May 26, NASA’s Phoenix Lander touched down in the vicinity of the planet’s North Pole.
The first photographs have already been sent back to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California where the probe’s “minders” are based. The probe is in excellent health and NASA is exhilarated. A safe landing on Martian soil is already a success. After all, of 15 attempts, this is only the sixth successful landing.
Why do the Americans need so many robotic missions to Mars? NASA is most likely hoping to find, first of all, micro-organisms; and failing that, to confirm that in the distant past, large amounts of water existed on the planet. In such a case, the hypothesis that there once was life on Mars would gain renewed validation. That is what makes this mission unique.
That there was water and related natural activity on the surface of Mars has already been confirmed by NASA’a Mars long-timers, space probes Spirit and Opportunity, which are still running after four year.
Since then, the two tireless rovers have been crawling over the planet providing the world’s scientific investigators outstanding data. By the way, JPL employees themselves can hardly believe the success of these devices, which were designed for only three months of active existence! But the highest quality materials and software have enabled the Mars rovers not only to resist the harsh conditions on the Marian surface, but also to settle on optimal methods of operating.
In this regard, people might wonder, how is America’s main partner – and rival – in space faring?
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