Since the first close-up picture of Mars was obtained in 1965, there have been significant endeavours undertaken to explore the ‘Red Planet’ (National Geographic, n.d.). In particular, a number of successful missions have taken place over the last two decades and provided valuable information about Mars.
1996 - Mars Global Surveyor
In 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor mission and the Mars Pathfinder mission were launched. The Mars Global Surveyor arrived at Mars on September 12 1997, becoming the first successful mission to Mars since Viking 2 in 1976 (Mars Exploration, n.d.). The spacecraft orbited Mars for a year and a half due to a problem with one of the solar panels, until beginning to map the planet in March 1999, studying the “entire Martian surface, atmosphere and interior” (Mars Exploration, …show more content…
Beagle 2 was launched from the Mars Express Orbiter on December 19, 2003 and was due to land six days later (European Space Agency, 2015). However, Beagle 2 was unable to be located or communicated with following it’s launch. That is, until January 2015, when images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter identified a partially deployed Beagle 2 on the surface of Mars (European Space Agency, 2015). Despite the complications that occurred with Beagle 2, the Mars Express entered the planet’s orbit on December 26 and promptly began transmitting 3D, colour images of Mars (The Planetary Society, 2016). Mars Express was able to detect methane, as well as evidence for recent volcanic activity (The Planetary Society, 2016). Additionally, MARSIS, the radar sounder on the Mars Express Orbiter, despite being relatedly deployed due to safety concerns, was able to operate successfully in it’s study of the atmosphere and search for water (The Planetary Society, 2016; Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
1996 - Mars Global Surveyor
In 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor mission and the Mars Pathfinder mission were launched. The Mars Global Surveyor arrived at Mars on September 12 1997, becoming the first successful mission to Mars since Viking 2 in 1976 (Mars Exploration, n.d.). The spacecraft orbited Mars for a year and a half due to a problem with one of the solar panels, until beginning to map the planet in March 1999, studying the “entire Martian surface, atmosphere and interior” (Mars Exploration, …show more content…
Beagle 2 was launched from the Mars Express Orbiter on December 19, 2003 and was due to land six days later (European Space Agency, 2015). However, Beagle 2 was unable to be located or communicated with following it’s launch. That is, until January 2015, when images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter identified a partially deployed Beagle 2 on the surface of Mars (European Space Agency, 2015). Despite the complications that occurred with Beagle 2, the Mars Express entered the planet’s orbit on December 26 and promptly began transmitting 3D, colour images of Mars (The Planetary Society, 2016). Mars Express was able to detect methane, as well as evidence for recent volcanic activity (The Planetary Society, 2016). Additionally, MARSIS, the radar sounder on the Mars Express Orbiter, despite being relatedly deployed due to safety concerns, was able to operate successfully in it’s study of the atmosphere and search for water (The Planetary Society, 2016; Jet Propulsion Laboratory,