FREE ESSAY ON MARS POLAR LANDING

MARS POLAR LANDING

A momentous occasion has been bestowed upon us. The Mars Polar Lander will try to reach
its destination of Mars' southern polar ice cap. The Lander was presumed to touch down on
Friday December 3, 1999. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space
Launch Complex 17 on January 3, 1999 and hopefully it has finally reached the surfaces of
Mars. This mission is worth $327.6 million total for both orbiter and Lander (not
including Deep Space 2). Those figures come from $193.1 million for spacecraft
development, $91.7 million for launch, and $42.8 million for mission operations. March 1,
2000 is the anticipated end of the Primary Mission. This truly a feat of humankind to
explore and decipher the landscape of the "red" planet. "Why would we consider tampering
with the planet in the first place?" a lot of people would ask. Some of these reasons are
pretty obvious. It all started in the late 1870's, when Giovanni Schiaparelli viewed what
seemed to be canals. These canals started from each respectable pole and seemed as if
these canals transported water to various areas of the planet. This observation sparked
more exploration. Although, with the limited resources back then, there was not much they
could do. Times have changed and with the available technology, the feat is possible.
Exploration has expanded, and we have learned various new things about the planet. Many
missions have went to Mars and explored since the first fascination with this planet and
more is still to learn. Hence the purpose of the mission that is upon us. Another reason
for the exploration is that Mars is the next most inhabitable planet, next to the earth,
in the Solar System. We wonder if that in a couple of year that we can live there. But
all that is in the far future. 
The Landscape of Mars is rather treacherous, learned from previous missions. The polar
regions of Mars are sometimes cold enough to freeze carbon dioxide into dry ice,
something that never happens naturally on Earth. Scientists hope to learn about Mars'
climate by studying layers of dust and possibly ice during the 90-day mission.
Instruments will measure vapor in the atmosphere, while a claw on the spacecraft will
collect samples to be cooked and analyzed for water. The 3 1/2-foot-tall, 2-foot-wide
Lander was to set down in a never-explored region so close to the South Pole that the sun
will not dip below the horizon during the mission. Though it will be late spring, the
average temperature is expected to be minus-73 degrees Fahrenheit. The probe is landing
in a region that was said to be inhibited full of water. The water is believed to have
made the planets rocky landscape. The geology ranges from deep canyons, and even ancient
shorelines. Tectonic plates play a vital role in pushing carbonates under the surface of
the earth, contributing to the active volcanoes across the earth. There has been evidence
on Mars that there have been abundant volcanic activity in the past. Without tectonic
plates, that has become a mystery. Two theories have been expressed to explain Mars'
geology. One is that the planet was once warm and boasted oceans, rivers and even a
thicker atmosphere. The other says that the planet was always cold and was under a thick
sheet of ice. Regardless, which theory is true, it proves how much we really do not know
about the "red" planet. 
Unfortunately, the Polar Lander has not reached its destination. The endless days have
elapsed and the mission team fears that all hope is lost. They have been trying
desperately to communicate with the Lander, but there is no response. The first days, but

they remained optimistic. Now as the days go by and the communications have failed. It
seems they have given up hope. If they have given up hope, it will be for this mission,
not for the missions to come.