3rd Time Is Charm For Trip To Mars

A 5-foot-tall robotic geologist is hurtling toward Mars on a mission to explore the planet’s surface after a successful launch Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Called Spirit, the first of two NASA rovers set for liftoff this month was carried into space by a Boeing Delta 2 rocket. The flight had been delayed two days by stormy weather, and jubilant scientists cheered as the rocket thundered off its launch pad into a blue sky.

“It’s incredible,” said Jim Rice from Arizona State University, a member of the NASA science team. “It’s hard to put it into words, really. You work for years to see this happen. The space program needs a positive shot in the arm right now, and hopefully, these two probes are going to do that.”

The second NASA robot, called Opportunity, is set to follow June 25. The $800 million pair of Mars Exploration Rovers are to reach the Red Planet in January and bounce down to different locations on its surface encased in balloons similar to air bags. Their goal is to dig into soil and chip away at rocks for signs of the water that may have flowed freely on the planet’s surface long ago.

Scientists say water is the key to whether Mars ever held living things. These explorers aren’t meant to find definitive evidence of life, but their work could push scientists further in answering one of humanity’s fundamental questions.

“Everyone wants to know: Are we alone?” said Catherine Weitz, a scientist in the Mars rover program at NASA headquarters in Washington. “Everyone wants to know what’s out there – that’s what makes humans special. We want to know the answer.”

Before Spirit can provide any clues, it must still make it to the Gusev Crater, south of the Martian equator. Once launched, Opportunity will head toward Meridiani Pla num, on the other side of the planet. Each location has the scars of water from long ago: Gusev’s geology suggests it once held a lake, and Meridi ani appears to be rich in a mineral typically found in watery areas.

The six-wheeled rovers are expected to roam between 600 and 1,000 yards, taking photographs, analyzing the mineral composition of soil and cutting into rocks to peer more deeply inside.

“We can look at these rocks and see what was happening millions of years ago,” said Phil Christensen, a geologist and professor at Arizona State University and a member of the NASA science team.

The probes are expected to last about 90 days before their power- producing solar arrays stop working as Mars moves farther away from the sun.

But NASA’s scientists are well aware of the risks involved. A 1999 Mars probe crashed on its landing attempt when its braking engines fired too early. All told, 16 out of 30 Mars missions launched by the United States and Russia since 1960 have ended in failure.