Alex's+...+How+it+started,+What+has+happened,+Dates

//** Mars exploration Program :BY Alex Siroishka **//

// Who is taking part in this program? //

- The main organization hosting and giving interest and planning for this future exploration is the “ ** National Aeronautics and Space Administration ** , commonly known as ** NASA. **  // __**How did this start?**__ //

- NASA basically started the hype about exploring Mars when their known twin robots “Rover” touched down on the Red Planet on January 3rd and the second on January 24th of 2004 when one left Earth on June 10th and the other from Earth on July 7th in 2003. The goal of these twin robots was to explore and characterize the wide range of rock and soils found on Mars that might hold some clues on the water issue and waters past on Mars.



// **__More on the twin Rovers__** //

Some interesting features and high tech equipment built into these two amazing robots include..... · ** "Panoramic Camera: **** for **  determining the mineralogy, texture, and structure of Mars terrain. · ** Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES): **  for identifying promising rocks and soils for closer examination and for determining the processes that formed Martian rocks. The instrument is designed to look skyward to provide temperature profiles of the Martian atmosphere. · ** Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB): **  for close-up investigations of the mineralogy of iron-bearing rocks and soils. · ** Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS): **  for close-up analysis of the abundances of elements that make up rocks and soils. · ** Magnets: **  for collecting magnetic dust particles. The Mössbauer Spectrometer and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer are designed to analyze the particles collected and help determine the ratio of magnetic particles to non-magnetic particles. They can also analyze the composition of magnetic minerals in airborne dust and rocks that have been ground by the Rock Abrasion Tool. · ** Microscopic Imager (MI): ** <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 130%;"> for obtaining close-up, high-resolution images of rocks and soils. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 13pt; font-family: Symbol;">· ** Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT): ** <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 130%;"> for removing dusty and weathered rock surfaces and exposing fresh material for examination by instruments onboard." <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(240, 240, 240); font-size: 130%;">( <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 130%;">[] <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(240, 240, 240); font-size: 130%;">)

- <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 130%;">These two machines total cost for launching, manufacturing and building of these Rovers was a <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">** US $820 Million ** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 130%;">. The rovers where only supposed to function for a 90 day period but they got four mission years extensions which had cost another <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">** US $103.5 Million ** <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 130%;"> with now the fifth mission extension expected to cost about another <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: #f0f0f0;">** US $19 Million

REFRENCES**