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Hey, I'm Kristen and
this is NASA Now.
When we first got to
Mars we found a planet
that was - was basically dead.
Today we know that Mars
is anything but dead.
We'll talk with an expert
who will tell us how Curiosity
is driving the next phase
of exploration on Mars.
That's ahead.
First here's what's
happening at NASA Now.
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter has made a
stunning discovery.
Based on data and
imagery from the MRO,
scientists believe there
may be water flowing
on the planet's surface.
The announcement was based
upon dark finger- like lines
that appear to widen and darken
on some of the Martian slopes
in late Spring through Summer.
Scientists think this
could be a liquid,
which contains high
concentrations
of salt also known as brine.
If this is true, it
brings us ever closer
to determining whether the
Red Planet could harbor life
in some form.
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Now let's take a
look at the past.
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July 14, 1965, history was
made when Mariner 4 passed
within 6,118 miles of
the surface of Mars
and sent back the first close
up images of the Red Planet.
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The mysterious Red Planet, Mars,
has fascinated people
for centuries.
So why are we so interested in
the fourth planet from the Sun?
To give us a better picture of
past and current exploration
of this Earth-like planet,
we're visiting with Nagin Cox
at the NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
in Pasadena, California.
So Nagin tell us why
NASA wants to go to Mars?
Well, the theme of solar system
exploration, whether it's Mars
or somewhere else
in the solar system,
has been: follow the water.
Water is essential to life
as we know it on the Earth.
So is there life,
is there water,
somewhere else in
the solar system?
That was the main goal of
Spirit and Opportunity,
the two Mars exploration
rovers that landed in 2004,
and Opportunity is
actually still operating.
Their goal was to find out
was there ever liquid water
on Mars in the past.
And the answer to that
was yes, there is.
Mission accomplished.
So how is Curiosity or Mars
Science Laboratory going to pick
up where Spirit and
Opportunity left off?
The Mars Science Laboratory
is like a robotic chemist.
We're actually taking
instruments this time to try
to find out what
the rocks were like.
What the chemistry was like.
Is it possible that there
were ever organic molecules -
the building blocks of life?
So these missions build on
what the prior mission did
and all along the path
of trying to find out,
is there somewhere else
in the solar system
that once could have
harbored life as we know it?
We know Curiosity is bigger
than the other rovers,
how do you land it safely?
The approach that Mars Science
Laboratory is taking, is first,
we use the same method
of slowing
down through the atmosphere
using a heat shield
and then a parachute.
But then at that point,
the rover actually drops
out of the back shell
in something
that looks a little bit
like a jetpack on its back.
So the rover kind of has
a jetpack on its back.
Then we use the jetpack to
fly closer to the surface
and then once we're at a certain
height above the surface,
the jetpack hovers, kind
of turns into a helicopter
and then lowers the rover
on a bridle, a tether,
until we get right
to the surface.
And while the rover is lowering,
the wheels are deploying.
So it's a very exciting
and complicated set
of things we have to do to
get the rover to the surface
but once we've touched down
the rover is on all its wheels
and basically ready
to start its mission.
So how does a mission
like this happen?
Well, like many great
ideas it starts,
just as that, as an idea.
So usually, we get an idea of
what our scientific goal is
and then that is
put forward to NASA
and the scientific community
offered as a proposal
for what we'd like to do.
So once the idea has been
selected as a good thing
to use money to do, to try to
answer this scientific question,
then it becomes a real
mission - one that we can start
to design and build hardware.
How long does this
process normally take?
That process, when it's
going really quickly,
can take about three years.
But in general, it's about five
to seven, to even ten years,
to develop a mission
to Mars to the point
where we have hardware
built, where it's been tested
and where the teams have been
trained and are ready to go.
Wow, that is pretty cool.
What's your hope for the
future of Mars exploration?
My hope is that we will continue
to explore space, robotically
and with humans, and that
we will do it peacefully
and together as one world.
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Do you know why Mars looks red?
It turns out that the surface
of Mars contains
iron-rich minerals,
which are essentially
rust, or oxidation.
When this rusty dust of Mars
gets stirred up by storms
on the planet's surface it gives
the atmosphere a reddish hue.
Now you know.
Now it's time to
check out what's up.
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Depending on the position of
the planets in their orbits,
the distance between
Earth and Mars varies
from 54 million kilometers to as
much as 400 million kilometers.
This means that at
the speed of light,
a signal from Earth can
take anywhere from eight
to 18 minutes to
travel the distance.
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A big part of space exploration
is imagining what the future
may hold.
Will people live in space or
vacation on another planet?
NASA wants to know
what you think,
with the Space Settlement
Contest.
Here's a great opportunity
for you and your classmates
to join the ranks of top
scientists in designing
and creating plans for the
ultimate space destination.
To enter the contest,
click on the link
on the NASA Explorer
Schools' Virtual Campus.
Well that's it for NASA Now,
be sure to tune in next time
to learn how lasers detect
pollution in our air.
We'll see you then on NASA Now.
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NASA Now comes to you
from the Virtual Campus
at NASA Explorer Schools.
