And then one more avenue of NASA plans for the near future and
these are directly linked to Mars but also holistically throughout our solar system.
Is what they're calling the Asteroid Redirect project, and
that project is the idea that we could put up spacecraft that will be able to
directly sample, analyze, and in some cases, if the asteroid is small enough,
actually capture the asteroid, and you remember that the word asteroid means that
it's a body of rock, primarily rock that's moving through the solar system,
and so, there are many levels to this project.
One of them, if a smallish asteroid looks like it's going to hit the Earth,
and cause problems, we can go up, and be able to capture that asteroid,
but even more importantly, we think that the asteroid redirect capture project will
allow us to be able to have the asteroid sampled by humans.
So in this image, we can see that the spacecraft is powered by solar panels, but
has a large accordion kind of opening to it.
And the idea there is to move the space craft, so the according opening
goes toward the asteroid, and then rocket boosters are fired, and
then that asteroid is captured within the telescoping accordion,
and then once that's brought close, and stationary then astronauts can go up on
ladders, and actually physically chisel and hammer away on the asteroid itself.
And asteroids are really important to us, because first of all some,
of the basic building blocks of life, some of the amino acids that are required for
life, have been found already synthesized on some asteroids.
Another one, is that the minerals that are present on asteroids are precious metals
and other, are important natural resources that might be utilized.
And then of course, we have planetary protection, and the whole idea that, first
of all, can microbes can be transported on asteroids, which we think the answer is
yes, then another one is, will the asteroids then potentially hit the planet.
There's a whole variety of reasons why these missions are important, and viable.
The asteroid redirect project also brings to the table, for
the first time, other types of, a mechanisms for rocket boosters in space,
and this is an image of the xenon rocket booster, so, these are all
next generations ways to provide thrust for spacecraft in the future.
So the very successful Mars missions of the landers,
the flybys, the rovers, and the orbiter has provided us with
precisely the suite of information that we need about Mars, and
other planets to be able to move forward with this directive of
understanding what is the origin, and the distribution, and
composition in the future of life throughout our solar system.
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