- MARTIAN STUDIES
A number of recent scientific discoveries have been made about Mars. Until 2005, it is planned to carry out 10 flights to this planet, but so far only the American space probe "Pathfinder" touched the Martian surface. "Pathfinder sank to the surface of Mars in July 1997 and delivered the mini-rover Sojener to it. The parachute slowed his descent, and the airbags provided a soft landing. Then the air was blown down, and an all-terrain vehicle running on solar panels left the probe. He inspected part of the surface near the Pathfinder, near the former channel called the Ares Valley, slightly north of the Martian canals. Scientists have found evidence of possible life on this planet.
Although Mars is a bit like an earthly desert, the natural conditions on it are much more severe. Mars is the planet that follows the Earth, but it is much colder. Mars is smaller, and its atmosphere, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, is too thin and therefore unsuitable for breathing. Despite the thin layer of clouds above the surface, there is no water on Mars. However, this planet was not always like this. In the distant past, it was much warmer there, with more air and rivers full of water flowing through the dried up valleys. In 1996, scientists discovered a meteorite in Antarctica that had the same chemical composition as the Martian rocks. It probably fell to Earth after Mars collided with a comet. Inside the meteorite, strange prints were found, apparently, traces of simple bacteria.
In order to make a detailed map of Mars, the Global Sirvayeur space probe was launched into orbit in late 1997, which is expected to study the surface of the planet for several years. The probe is equipped with such powerful equipment that it will provide information even about objects as small as 3 meters in diameter. In any case, the Martian maps produced by this probe will be as detailed as those of the Earth. Meanwhile, quite respectable programs for further development and even colonization of Mars are being developed. In America, Mars Underground, an informal club of scientists and engineers, has been developing such programs for 15 years. Its head is a famous specialist Robert Zubrin.
- TO SATURN
While flying past Saturn, two Voyager probes took amazing pictures. "Voyager, who visited Saturn in 1979-1980, managed to get amazing information that amazed scientists. It turned out that on the outer edge of the rings of Saturn is a great number of narrow rings as if intertwined with each other. Everything was explained when two more Saturn"s companions, Pandora, and Prometheus, whose orbits lie on different sides of the rings, were discovered later. The power of their attraction changes the shape of the rings, pushing them together and even twisting one with the other. Now scientists have sent to the planet a third probe - "Cassini". From Saturn"s orbit, the Cassini will send a small Heigens probe to the world"s largest satellite, the Titan. When the space probe approaches Titan, its speed will exceed 20, 000 km/h, but friction will slow it down, and a few parachutes will provide a soft landing. "Heightens should take atmospheric samples, collect data on the "weather" on the planet, take photographs. The first information will be given to Cassini by Heightens at the time of landing.
- JUPITER STUDIES
Jupiter is not like the Earth, the Moon or Mars, but consists mainly of gases: hydrogen and helium. Therefore, it is impossible to send a spacecraft to Jupiter: there is nowhere to land, it will fall through gas clouds until it is completely destroyed by pressure and high temperatures. This is exactly what happened to the small probe launched to Jupiter in 1995 by the Galileo spacecraft. The probe launched from Galileo, as it plunged into the atmosphere of Jupiter, managed to transmit some data. For example, wind speed: in the lower atmosphere 650 km/h, and in the upper atmosphere - 160 km/h. But because of pressure and high temperature, the probe was destroyed. With the help of the Galileo spacecraft, scientists received valuable information about Jupiter and unique images, although the work of Galileo did not go smoothly. And yet he gave some important information. For example, he recorded a collision with Jupiter of comet Schumacher-Levy-9. This event occurred in space in 1994. Traces of the collision with the comet on the surface of Jupiter remained for many months until they were smoothed by the raging winds.
Orbits of comets and asteroids are very strange, and therefore they often fly very close to other planets and sometimes crash into them. Many planets have traces of such catastrophes. Several times this happened to the Earth. Craters of space origin are also found on our planet.