NASA will send its next rover to Mars in 2020. It’s about the size of a car (10 ft long without its arm, 9 ft wide, and 7 ft tall), and was modeled after Curiosity’s configuration.
在下面的图像中有一个喷气推进实验室（JPL）博客帖子, you can see the spacecraft that’ll help the rover reach the red planet. The photo depicts an engineer inspecting the completed design before it heads off to the Space Simulator Facility at JPL for more tests.
(Image Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
The completed cruise stage is seen suspended by cables, which will guide the spacecraft during the seven-month journey. Further down in the image is the aeroshell, which is the protective shield that’s vital during the cruise and the heated entry into Mars’ atmosphere.
根据JPL的说法，在照片中没有看到的照片中未见的是“完成的火箭动力下降阶段和替代火车站，即在JPL的高海湾1洁净室中正在进行的真正的流动站）”。
The rover has four mainscience goalsduring its stay on the red planet.
1.Determine whether life ever arose on Mars：流动站将进行终身调查，例如寻找岩石样品中的生物创作率。据美国宇航局称，“这是第一个旨在寻求过去的微生物生活迹象的流动站特派团。”
2.表征火星的气候:The rover will try to characterize the current Maritain climate conditions, as well as the past Martian climate and causes for climate change.
3.Characterize the geology of Mars: Rocks will be studied to understand more about Mars’ geological processes.
4.Prepare for human exploration: The mission will monitor environmental conditions to better prepare for future manned visits, and test out technologies that use Mars’ natural resources for life support and fuel.
After its July 2020 launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mission will land February 18, 2021, at Mars’ Jezero Crater.
In other Mars 2020 news, NASA has recently opened an opportunity for the public tosend their names to Mars. The public can go to anonline formto submit their name, which will be stenciled onto chips carried by the rover. This will represent “the initial leg of humanity’s first round trip to another planet,” according to JPL.
Filed Under:航空航天+防御
