Robots for a red planet

On horizon of NASA Mars has loomed. In May and June on the Red planet absolutely identical two robots on sprockets which in January will land in area of equator of a planet will be started. The total cost of the program makes 800 million dollars.

"At the moment and NASA, and are very necessary to all country good news from space, and I consider, that my operation - to give to them such news ", - Steve Skvajers from Kornel university, the principal expert of program Mars Exploration Rover speaks.

The present program is the next attempt of NASA to know, whether there was sometime a life on Mars, to investigate its climate and geological structure and to prepare landing to Mars the person.

As representatives of NASA have stated, robots are investigated, first of all, by geological data who can prove, that in the remote past on a planet there were essential stores of water and an atmosphere, suitable for a life.

Modern robots remind the predecessor, device Sojourner who has landed on Mars in 1997 a little. Images of this small robot similar to a toy creeping on a planet of color of a rust, are known all over the world.

However then the main task was to show a level of development of technique, the serious scientific purposes before expedition{dispatch} it was not put, Peter Tejzinger tells, project-manager Mars Exploration Rover. Sojourner could depart from a place of a landing of all on some kilometers. And new robots can work in radius of two thirds of mile from a place of a landing, that considerably expands opportunities of research of a surface of Mars.

For their flight prepare in special locations with a clean atmosphere in space center Kennedy. Each device weighs about 400 pounds (180 kg). Robots are equipped by several scientific instruments, for what by the right name them laboratories on sprockets. Panoramic 3-D the chamber, giving the image of a high resolution, will help scientists to investigate in detail a landscape of Mars and to collect by means of robots exemplars of rocks and ground. Each robot is supplied by three types of spectrometers which will allow to determine structure of finds.

All instruments are built in "hands" of the robot on which ends cutting lobes for transiting through high layers of rocks and study of their internal structure are.