The ESA ExoMars mission has been launched from Baikonur aboard a Russian Proton-M heavy launcher. It is bound to Mars where it should arrive in October.
Tullio

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It's a good idea to get more satellites up there. Even though not it's primary mission, I assume this one will be able to communicate with the rovers already on Mars.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

ExoMars will try to land a Schiaparelli module om Mars in preparation for a landing mission of ExoMars 2 in 2018. ExoMars 2 should search for traces of life.
Tullio

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Here's the link:

http://exploration.esa.int/mars/

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

Good luck

hope this time the rover finds the pyramid and lost city when it get there:-)

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All ExoMars systems are go, according to a press release of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica. ExoMars is a joint venture od ESA and Roscosmos. Arrival is foreseen for October 19, when the Schiaparelli module shall try to land on Mars.
Tullio

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Relevant to thread:
http://phys.org/news/2016-06-dutch-crops-grown-mars-soil.html
Dutch crops grown on 'Mars' soil found safe to eat

Dutch scientists said Thursday crops of four vegetables and cereals grown on soil similar to that on Mars have been found safe to eat, amid plans for the first manned mission to the planet.

Abundant harvests of radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes all grown on the soil were found to contain "no dangerous levels" of heavy metals, said the team from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

"These remarkable results are very promising," said senior ecologist Wieger Wamelink.

"We can actually eat the radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes, and I am very curious what they will taste like."

Future Mars settlers will have to take food supplies with them and then plant crops in order to survive.

So using soil developed by NASA to resemble that of the red planet, the university has been experimenting since 2013 and has managed to raise 10 crops.

Abxtract machine learning papers

According to the most recent programming on the science channel "Space’s Deepest Secrets’ Video Exclusive: Inside NASA’s Mission to Mars" about the effort to put humans on the red planet it will take, at the present level of funding, at least 30 years to work out all the problems that currently make it too dangerous to attempt with a reasonable risk factor.
The big obstacles are (1) loss of muscle tone over the duration of the trip that would render the crew unable to stand up upon arrival at Mars with no one there to help them. Testosterone is being experimented with but it introduces problems of its own, primarily in the area of behavior. Concepts that include spinning the crew habitat drive the cost of constructing the vehicle beyond reasonable levels to the point that no single government can afford to do it.
(2) Radiation is still a major concern assuming you want to bring a healthy crew home.
(3) Preserving the crew's sanity during the long, basically boring, trip out and back, Only two of the 5 members of the Russian experiment in long term confinement came through the ordeal with reasonably good mental stability.
(4) Once in orbit around Mars how to land and stay in one piece. The engineer that designed the most recent system used by Curiosity says that getting 4 tons of payload on the ground in one piece was difficult, at 40 tons and with the fuel they can carry with them the task becomes astronomical. The solution, taking more fuel, adds more cost to the start of the mission on earth pushing the overall costs over the top.

So technically, if the various space agencies were given a blank check, a round trip mission could be mounted in the next 10 years, but when considering the reality of the economic and political situation here on earth no such endeavour will get off the ground within the next 30-50 years, if then.

Not what I wanted to hear but not much worse than I expected.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I doubt that we will see a manned trip to Mars in the next 50 years. I think that the problems are too great.

Cosmic rays will be a huge problem during the trip and on any permanent housing structure. The Martian soil is probably sterile due to Cosmic rays to begin with. I think that there would have to be a rotating structure for gravity simulation--vertigo may be a problem.

I suspect that the Mars ship--even if it is a one-way affair--will be enormous. It probably should be assembled in orbit or on the moon using modules ferried up from Earth.

I propose that a proper space station and then a permanent Moon base be established first.

I like the renditions in this Daddio I did some years back.

A fully staffed moon base would get my vote.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Seems to me it would be faster, cheaper and easier to just use the stargate. I mean, the idea is so far fetched, you just can't make this stuff up.

Seems to me it would be faster, cheaper and easier to just use the stargate. I mean, the idea is so far fetched, you just can't make this stuff up.

You are kidding, aren't you?

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Seems to me it would be faster, cheaper and easier to just use the stargate. I mean, the idea is so far fetched, you just can't make this stuff up.

You are kidding, aren't you?

He saw it on TV and TV always tells the truth.

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Seems to me it would be faster, cheaper and easier to just use the stargate. I mean, the idea is so far fetched, you just can't make this stuff up.

You are kidding, aren't you?
He saw it on TV and TV always tells the truth.

Who says T.V is not real , how do we know there is not a Star Gate ?

In the movie it was buried !!

All we have to do is fix the problems in the middle East and then we can start to look for a Star Gate in Egypt ....


You never know what's under all that Ice at the South pole maybe there's one there buried under a klm of ice ? or maybe a Space ship that crashed landed guess well find out soon when the Ice melts

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Seems to me it would be faster, cheaper and easier to just use the stargate. I mean, the idea is so far fetched, you just can't make this stuff up.
You are kidding, aren't you?
He saw it on TV and TV always tells the truth.

Who says T.V is not real , how do we know there is not a Star Gate ?
In the movie it was buried !!
All we have to do is fix the problems in the middle East and then we can start to look for a Star Gate in Egypt ....
You never know what's under all that Ice at the South pole maybe there's one there buried under a klm of ice ? or maybe a Space ship that crashed landed guess well find out soon when the Ice melts

LOL:)

According to ancient alien theorists, extraterrestrials with superior knowledge of science and engineering landed on Earth thousands of years ago, sharing their expertise with early civilizations and forever changing the course of human history.
But how did this concept develop, and is there any evidence to support it?"
For ancient alien theorist, also known as the ancient astronaut theory, the answer to evidences is a resounding yes

ExoMars is nearing Mars. It should enter a Martian orbit on October 16 and launch the Schiaparelli lander on October 18. Go Schiaparelli!
Tullio

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Good, back to reality.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Schiaparelli has separated from TGO about 17 CEST. I watched it live from the ESOC control center in Darmstadt, Germany. The signal was acquired by the GMRT radio telescope in Pune, India,
Tullio

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i wonder how the trajectory works. does the combination craft have a periapsis deep in the atmosphere before separation, and then after separation the satellite raises the periapsis? or do they both have the same periapsis but the lander has higher drag and parachutes to bring it all the way down? i also read that the satellite will be doing aerobraking, does it do it with the solar panels still extended?

i wonder how the trajectory works. does the combination craft have a periapsis deep in the atmosphere before separation, and then after separation the satellite raises the periapsis? or do they both have the same periapsis but the lander has higher drag and parachutes to bring it all the way down? i also read that the satellite will be doing aerobraking, does it do it with the solar panels still extended?

Schiaparelli has no solar panels and is meant to work only a few days. It is a proof of concept type for a lander. The real rover will be aboard ExoMars 2.
Tullio

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