Celestial Column Over Mars To Jupiter

The orbit of Mars is crowded. On the morning of the 10th, the UAE probe’Amal’ entered Mars orbit. On this afternoon, China’s Tianyuan No. 1 entered orbit. On the 18th, the US probe’Percivirence’ landed on the surface of Mars, and a picture of dust rising from the reverse engine was sent in a photo.

The U.S., the leading country of Mars exploration, first sent the probe Mariner in 1965, and then successfully landed on Mars five times, starting with the Viking 1 in 1976. Russia (the Soviet Union) planned to explore Mars before Yuri Gagarin’s space flight in 1961, but the only successful landing was’Mars-3′ in 1971.

Russia is aiming for a resurgence next year after even the Mars probe’Exomas’ sent with the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2016 failed. China, behind these countries, will make its first attempt to land the Tianyuan 1 on Mars from April to May. If successful, it will become the third country to land on Mars after the United States and Russia.

The United States is also a leader in Jupiter exploration. The first close flight around Jupiter, the largest in the solar system, was the Pioneer 10 in 1973. It has been 360 years since 1610, when Galileo Galilei observed Jupiter and its four satellites through a telescope. Following’Voyager’s 1 and 2 in 1979,’Galileo’ has been orbiting Jupiter and has sent a lot of data from 1995.

‘Juno’, which entered Jupiter’s orbit in 2016, is expected to enter the atmosphere in July after five years of excellent missions and disappear or be used for Jupiter satellite exploration. Interestingly, Junoho has three Lego dolls on board. The researchers explained, “It is intended to arouse interest and inspiration for children in space and science.” This is one of the reasons the United States has an overwhelming advantage in space development.

Humanity’s attention to space is due to the space industry that is growing on a massive scale. It is expected to exceed $670 billion (about 700 trillion won) in 2030. The resources buried in many planets and the demand for space colonies are also enormous. The related technology and basic science development necessary for this is a bonus.

Above all, it has a great’intangible effect’ that fosters dreams for growing children. Elon Musk, who wants to build an earthen dwelling on Mars, is said to have developed a’dream for the stars’ by reading “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Milky Way” as a child.

Editorial Writer Ko Doo-hyun [email protected]

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