Although the NASA InSight lander isn’t set to make it to the Red Planet until next year, preparations are already underway for its arrival, as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is getting into position to receive radio transmissions from the next-gen spacecraft.
On Wednesday, the MRO fired six of its intermediate-sized thrusters for 75 seconds, adjusting the timing of its orbit so that it crosses the equator one-half hour earlier, at 2:30 pm local solar time instead of 3pm, Engadget said. It was the orbiter’s biggest such maneuver since 2006.
The thrusters, which produce 22 newtons (or five pounds) of thrust each, were used to put the MRO in the right location for it to support the InSight upon its arrival on September 28, 2016, explained NASA. These six engines were previously used to correct the spacecraft’s trajectory during its journey from Earth to Mars.
Next MRO maneuvers scheduled for October 2016
InSight is scheduled to lift off in March 2016, and will be accompanied by a pair of CubeSats that Engadget explains will serve as communications-relay satellites, transmitting messages to the ground team with little to no delay. The MRO will also record those signals, serving as the mission’s official documentation before the lander touches down on the planet’s surface.
“Without making this orbit change maneuver, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter would be unable to hear from InSight during the landing, but this will put us in the right place at the right time,” said MRO Project Manager Dan Johnston of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Upon its arrival, InSight will analyze the deep interior of Mars, searching for new clues about the formation and early evolution not only of this planet, but of all rocky worlds, including Earth. In the meantime, MRO will keep collecting high-resolution imagery, atmospheric profiles, spectral data and other information, and will continue providing communication relay support for rovers.
The next scheduled orbital maneuvers for MRO are scheduled for October 2016 and April 2017, NASA said. Each of those will use “the six intermediate-size thrusters longer than three minutes. These will return it to the orbit timing it has used since 2006, crossing the equator at about 3am and 3pm, local solar time, during each near-polar loop around the planet,” the agency added.
(Image credit: NASA)
Comments