GRADY TRIMBLE CAR NUMBER 40
TODAY.
MELISSA.
MELISSA: I LOVE IT.
ALL RIGHT, ON TO ANOTHER RACE.
THE RACE TO THE RED PLANET.
NASA IS ON A STRICT DEADLINE TO
MAKE SURE ITS JULY LAUNCH STAYS
ON TRACK OR IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT
ANOTHER TWO YEARS UNTIL THE
EARTH AND MARS ARE ALIGNED ON
THE SAME SIDE OF THE SUN.
IT WILL ALSO MARK THE FIRST TIME
A HELICOPTER WILL BE USED ON THE
PLANET EXPLORATION.
HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT, TARIQ
MALIK, SPACE.COM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
FIRST OF ALL, WHY DO WE WANT TO
FLY A HELICOPTER ON MARS?
>> MELISSA, THE HELICOPTER NASA
IS SENDING ON THE PERSEVERANCE
ROVER FIRST OF ITS KIND.
THE ASTRONAUTS WILL NEED WAYS TO
REALLY EXPAND THEIR REACH.
ONE WAY TO DO THAT WOULD BE TO
SEND DRONES.
WE USE ON EARTH AND FUN AND
DELIVERIES WHATNOT PRETTY EASILY
BUT THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS IS
VERY DIFFERENT.
IT IS MUCH THINNER AND, NASA
DOESN’T REALLY KNOW HOW TO FLY
ON ANOTHER PLANET RIGHT NOW.
SO THIS SPACE, THIS HELICOPTER
IS GOING TO TEST A LOT OF THOSE
THEORIES.
CAN THEY FLY A HELICOPTER ON
MARS?
CAN THEY DO IT REMOTELY AND
SAFELY?
HOW MUCH CAN THEY SEE OF THE
PLANET?
THE GOAL HOPEFULLY THEY WILL SEE
A LOT MORE OF MARS THEY WOULD
WITHOUT THIS KIND OF A DEVICE.
MELISSA: OKAY.
SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE
TO HEAD OFF TO MARS WITHIN THE
NEXT MONTH OR ELSE IT WILL BE
TWO MORE YEARS BEFORE WE’RE
ALIGNED PROPERLY IN ORDER TO DO
THIS.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT THEY WILL
BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THE MISSION?
>> NASA HAD AN UPDATE THIS
WEEKEND.
THEY ARE REALLY CONFIDENT THEY
WILL MAKE THE DEADLINE.
THEIR GOAL IS TO LAUNCH THE
MISSION ON THE JULY 20th.
THAT IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE
APOLLO MOON LANDING.
THEY’RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT
THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY DELAYED
THE LAUNCH BECAUSE OF A COUPLE
OF DELAYS THAT PILED UP THE LAST
FEW MONTHS.
THEY HAVE BEEN RESPONDING JUST
AS WE ALL HAVE WITH THE ONGOING
COVID-19 PANDEMIC THAT IMPACTED
A LOT OF THEIR PREPARATIONS.
THEY HAVE A FEW WEEKS EVERY TWO
YEARS TO DO THIS.
THEY HAVE UNTIL EARLY AUGUST TO
GET OFF THE GROUND.
THEY ARE CONFIDENT THEY CAN MAKE
THAT.
IF THEY DON’T HOWEVER, THEY WILL
HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER 26 MONTHS
WHEN ORBITS OF EARTH AND MARS
ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE TO MAKE
IT EASY AND EFFICIENT TO GET TO
MARS.
MELISSA: SO THEN HOW DOES THAT
SET BACK THE WHOLE PROGRAM THEN?
WE’RE ON A STRICT TIMELINE IN
ORDER TO GET HUMANS TO MARS.
>> IT DOES, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY,
MAKING THAT TIMELINE IS REALLY
IMPORTANT NOT JUST FOR THIS
MISSION BUT FOR ITS FOLLOW-ON.
THIS MISSION IN PARTICULAR, THE
PERSEVERANCE ROVER WILL COLLECT
THE FIRST SAMPLES OF PARTS OF
MARS TO COME BACK TO EARTH AND
THOSE SAMPLES WILL BE LEFT LIKE
LITTLE BREAD CRUMBS ON THE
SURFACE OF MARS FOR ANOTHER
MISSION.
THAT NEXT MISSION NEEDS TO COME
AFTER, IN THE NEXT WINDOW IN THE
A COUPLE OF YEARS.
IF THIS MISSION GETS DELAYED,
THAT SAM RETURN MISSION GETS
DELAYED, THE PUSH TO GET
ASTRONAUTS ON MARS DOES ALSO GET
DELAYED.
SO NASA REALLY WANTS TO GET THIS
WE SAW EARLIER BECAUSE OF
TECHNICAL ISSUES A EUROPEAN
MISSION IS GOING TO MISS THIS
WINDOW TO GET TO MARS.
THEY HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER TWO
YEARS TO TRY AGAIN IN 2022.
MELISSA: WOW.
THAT’S AMAZING.
ARE THERE PRIVATE COMPANIES
INVOLVED IN THIS ONE?
EVERYBODY WAS LOOKING AT SPACEX
IN THAT LAST LAUNCH.
IT WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL TO HAVE
THEM INVOLVED.
IS IT JUST NASA OR OTHERS ARE
INVOLVED?
>> THIS MISSION IS REALLY A NASA
AND JPL, JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY LED EFFORT.
IF YOU RECALL, THIS IS THE SAME,
THE SAME CENTER THAT BUILT THE
CURIOSITY ROVER, NUCLEAR POWERED
ROVER EXPLORING MARS TODAY, MUCH
LONGER THAN ITS INITIAL PLANNED
MISSION TO AND THIS IS VERY
SIMILAR IN DESIGN.
THEY BASICALLY LANDED A TWO-TON
CAR ON MARS WITH A SKY CRAIN.
THIS NEW ROVER WILL USE THAT
SAME TYPE OF APPROACH.
IT DOES HAVE SOME NEW BELLS AND
WHISTLES.
IT HAS THE SAMPLE RETURN, THE
SAMPLING SYSTEM ON IT.
IT HAS THE FIRST CAMERA AND
MICROPHONES THAT WE’LL HEAR AND
SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LAND ON
MARS AND IT HAS THIS HELICOPTER
TO TEST SOME NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT
RESTAURANTS -- ASTRONAUTS WILL
USE WHEN THEY GET THERE TO
