By Omar Achy
The US Space Agency’s (NASA) Mars 2020 mission arrives at its destination on Thursday after a seven-month journey. On the eve of this much-awaited moment, Moroccan scientist Kamal Oudrhiri who is a member of the teams in charge of this mission, explains, in this interview with MAP in Washington, the objectives of the new adventure in search of signs of a micro-bacterial life on the red planet.
Given the restrictions linked to the pandemic, Kamal Oudrhiri, who has already successfully contributed to several other missions, will be among a small NASA team to monitor the landing of unmanned robot “Perseverance” on Mars.
The rover, described as the largest and most sophisticated vehicle ever to be sent to another planet, is expected on Mars on February 18 shortly before 2100 GMT.
It arrives in orbit after the United Arab Emirates probe Hope on February 9 and the Chinese mission Tianwen-1 two days later, marking a promising phase for the conquest of Mars.
In four questions, the Moroccan scientist explains the ambitions of this new interplanetary mission as well as his personal contribution to its success. “Perseverance” is his eighth mission on Mars and his fifth landing.
1- How do you explain this new wave of exploration of the red planet ?
In the last twenty years, NASA missions like Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit & Opportunity (landed in 2004) and Curiosity rover (landed in 2012) discovered that water once existed in abundance on Mars. Since evidence of water is often linked to life, this finding has reignited interest in Mars, and many nations are now striving to be amongst the first to explore the red planet. We can summarize the reasons for going to Mars into three primary objectives: The search for microbial life, understanding how the planet evolved (studying its surface, subsurface, and its atmosphere), and preparing for a future human permanent presence on Mars.
There are many questions that remain unanswered about Mars, and there is no single nation that can answer all of them alone. So, collaboration has been vital to Mars exploration. While “HOPE,” the UAE’s first-ever probe to Mars, will aim to explain why or how the Martian atmosphere loses hydrogen and oxygen gases into space, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life and study the surface.
On the other hand, and as part of a new technology approach, “Tianwen-1 is going to orbit, land and release a rover all on the very first try, and coordinate observations with an orbiter,” according to a published paper on Nature Astronomy.
2- Tell us about NASA’s Perseverance rover?
Perseverance is the fifth and the most sophisticated rover NASA has ever sent to Mars. It builds on the lessons of other Mars rovers. The car-sized rover is about 3 meters long, 2.7 meters wide, 2.2 meters tall, and it weighs 1,025 kilograms.
Perseverance will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet’s geology and climate, collect carefully selected rock and sediment samples for a possible return to Earth in 2026, and pave the way for future human exploration.
Among Perseverance’s future-looking technologies include “Ingenuity,” the first helicopter to attempt flight on another planet, and “MOXIE,” the first instrument capable of producing oxygen from Mars’ carbon dioxide atmosphere, demonstrating a way that future explorers might produce oxygen for rocket propellant as well as for breathing.
The Perseverance rover will additionally carry more cameras than any interplanetary mission in history. A total of 19 cameras that will deliver images of the Mars landscape in breathtaking detail.
3- What are the stakes for future human exploration of Mars?
Having a permanent human presence on Mars is the objective of NASA and many other space agencies around the world. However, before we can accomplish this ambitious goal, many innovations in spacecraft design, space medicine, astrobotany, and agriculture have to come to fruition. Collaborations between government agencies such as NASA and private companies such a SPACE X are helping to drive these innovations forward.
4- What is your contribution to the perseverance mission, and what are the lessons you have learned from this mission?
Perseverance will be my eighth mission to Mars and my fifth landing. I previously worked on the entry, descent, and landing of the rovers: Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity and the InSight Lander. As the Perseverance radio science team lead, my role is to support the critical activities during the landing and science phase. I am also responsible for training and transferring my technical knowledge to my team members.
Even though I have worked on many Mars missions, each mission presents its own challenges and opportunities to learn new things. Perseverance embodies NASA’s spirit of overcoming challenges. Getting the rover to the launchpad and on its journey to Mars required tremendous effort during a period when the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these trying times, I saw that no matter how difficult the challenges are, we can accomplish anything when we come together to work creatively and collaboratively. The rover’s journey reminds me that grit, determination, and unwavering perseverance are at the heart of exploration and carry us to new horizons.
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