您现在的位置是:熱點 >>正文
【】
熱點867人已围观
简介The European Space Agency (ESA) finally has a better idea of what caused its ill-fated Mars lander t ...
The European Space Agency (ESA) finally has a better idea of what caused its ill-fated Mars lander to crash-land on the Red Planet in October. 。
It looks like the Schiaparelli lander -- part of the joint alien life-hunting ExoMars mission between the ESA and Russia -- crashed into the surface of Mars due to a glitch in its navigation system.。
The ins and outs of the issue that doomed that lander are complicated, but basically, as Schiaparelli was coming in for touchdown its navigation computer miscalculated its altitude, leading the onboard computer to think that the lander was already safe and on the ground.。
SEE ALSO:Wednesday's Mars landing could put Europe on the Martian map。That miscalculation triggered the jettisoning of the lander's parachute and backshell plus the brief firing of its "braking thrusters."。

The lander was still about 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) above Mars when this happened. So, while that series of events would have been great if the lander were closer to the surface, it instead led to the lander creating a new crater on the red planet. 。
Thanks for signing up!。

The crash site of the Schiaparelli lander.Credit: NASA 。
Although the lander didn't make it safely to the Martian surface, engineers working with the mission are still happy with the data collected during the spacecraft's descent.。
The Schiaparelli was launched to test technology needed to send a larger payload to Mars at some point in the not-too-distant future.。
The ESA and Russia are planning to launch another ExoMars mission -- which will include a rover to hunt for signs of life on the Red Planet -- four years from now. 。
"We will have learned much from Schiaparelli that will directly contribute to the second ExoMars mission being developed with our international partners for launch in 2020," Parker said. 。
While Schiaparelli didn't make it to the planet's surface intact, its companion spacecraft -- the Trace Gas Orbiter -- is now in orbit around Mars and gathering data about the planet's atmosphere.。
The ExoMars missions are designed to hunt for any signs of past or current life on Mars. The thinking goes that if life did exist on the red world, it would have left behind some trace of itself, either in the form of methane or another gas in the atmosphere or some sign on the planet's surface. 。
Featured Video For You。
Featured Video For You。Obama plans to send humans to Mars by 2030s。
Tags:
转载:欢迎各位朋友分享到网络,但转载请说明文章出处“夫榮妻貴網”。http://new.maomao321.com/news/44e999946.html
相关文章
This chart shows just how high Simone Biles can jump
熱點American gymnast Simone Biles has dominated the Rio Olympics with five medals (four of them gold) bu ...
【熱點】
阅读更多Leeches are making a slimy comeback in modern medicine
熱點Medical bills are often littered with bizarre line items. If you're in Russia, those little charges ...
【熱點】
阅读更多9 coffee stains that look like works of art
熱點Have you ever spilled a bit of coffee? Chances are that yes, along with millions of people around th ...
【熱點】
阅读更多
热门文章
- Here's George Takei chilling in zero gravity for the 'Star Trek' anniversary
- Nature to greet People's Climate March with record heat
- The Cassini spacecraft dove between Saturn and its rings: Here are the photos to prove it
- Video game releases that we're psyched about in May 2017
- Old lady swatting at a cat ends up in Photoshop battle
- Isaiah Thomas gets tooth knocked out, dominates Wizards anyway
最新文章
One of the most controversial power struggles in media comes to a close
Colin Kaepernick's noble deeds keep making haters look like bitter fools
Barbershop Books is using barbershops to inspire young black boys to read
Someone threw these cute chickens on a train carriage then fled into the night
Australian football makes history with first LGBT Pride Game
Frog scares the crap out of dog and 2 humans, doggo goes back for toy