Curiosity is making amazing progress even as we dawdle on Facebook
right now. Just earlier this week, it discovered sediment that mimics
deposits of what an Earth stream would leave if it were there on Mars.
Hopefully this is the sort of discovery that might precede discovering
remnants of microbial, or even advanced life (or even currently living
organisms!).
The sad thing is that those potential samples are
still anywhere between 36 - 250 million miles away (depending on orbital
comparisons) from Earth. A mild hindrance for us in investigating these
sedimentary samples, and even any biological samples, under clean-room
laboratory conditions befitting of the potential discoveries.
This can all change in the very near-future thanks to some provisional mission plans from the great minds at NASA...
NASA's Mars Program Planning Group released on Tuesday (25th September
2012) several key mechanisms that could be employed in order to bring
samples of sediment, strata and even bio-matter back to Earth for
analysis and study!
Out of these options laid out, NASA have
decided upon one, but refuse to commit pen to the proverbial paper until
the Whitehouse release their 2014 fiscal year budget request.
One such mechanism involves the use of containment tubes, sealed
several times over to protect against deep-space. These are then mounted
into a supersonic rocket which relays the samples to an orbiting
base-station.
Much like a carrier-pigeon, this station then passes
the projectile into a larger vessel, which is propelled towards Earth.
Once in proximity to Earth, it will be collected by a human-manned craft
and brought down to the planet for investigation.
Quite literally a shuttle relay run!
Other options involve the use of Sky-cranes, much like how Curiosity
was delivered, which drop off several collection robots which
continually collect and deliver specimens.
The key thoughts
and considerations here are that Mars is now potentially being
'contaminated' by Earth - what is to say that bacteria wasn't present in
Curiosity or the Rover? Similarly, what is to say that specimens
brought back from Mars are able to be controlled through our known
methods of decontamination and bio-hazard procedures in laboratories?
Would it not be a stroke of irony, if not typical human-luck, that a
newly discovered bacterium from Mars wipes out our planet, simply
because we are not adapted to combat it? Well, NASA may be able to use
the International Space Station to study the samples within, so we may
be safe...
Curiosity is making amazing progress even as we dawdle on Facebook right now. Just earlier this week, it discovered sediment that mimics deposits of what an Earth stream would leave if it were there on Mars. Hopefully this is the sort of discovery that might precede discovering remnants of microbial, or even advanced life (or even currently living organisms!).
The sad thing is that those potential samples are still anywhere between 36 - 250 million miles away (depending on orbital comparisons) from Earth. A mild hindrance for us in investigating these sedimentary samples, and even any biological samples, under clean-room laboratory conditions befitting of the potential discoveries.
This can all change in the very near-future thanks to some provisional mission plans from the great minds at NASA...
NASA's Mars Program Planning Group released on Tuesday (25th September 2012) several key mechanisms that could be employed in order to bring samples of sediment, strata and even bio-matter back to Earth for analysis and study!
Out of these options laid out, NASA have decided upon one, but refuse to commit pen to the proverbial paper until the Whitehouse release their 2014 fiscal year budget request.
One such mechanism involves the use of containment tubes, sealed several times over to protect against deep-space. These are then mounted into a supersonic rocket which relays the samples to an orbiting base-station.
Much like a carrier-pigeon, this station then passes the projectile into a larger vessel, which is propelled towards Earth. Once in proximity to Earth, it will be collected by a human-manned craft and brought down to the planet for investigation.
Quite literally a shuttle relay run!
Other options involve the use of Sky-cranes, much like how Curiosity was delivered, which drop off several collection robots which continually collect and deliver specimens.
The key thoughts and considerations here are that Mars is now potentially being 'contaminated' by Earth - what is to say that bacteria wasn't present in Curiosity or the Rover? Similarly, what is to say that specimens brought back from Mars are able to be controlled through our known methods of decontamination and bio-hazard procedures in laboratories?
Would it not be a stroke of irony, if not typical human-luck, that a newly discovered bacterium from Mars wipes out our planet, simply because we are not adapted to combat it? Well, NASA may be able to use the International Space Station to study the samples within, so we may be safe...
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