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ESA Aiming for Martian Probe in 2011

Posted by Zonk on from the round-trip dept.

allanj writes "According to the BBC, the ESA is set to send a robotic probe to Mars around 2011. They apparently want to return samples of Martian soil with the probe - cool idea if it works better than Beagle 2 did..." From the article: "They still require a great deal of further detail and the agency's member states will also have to sign off the mission. Ministers will have their say when the Esa Council meets in December."

3 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. The next logical step by FuturePastNow · · Score: 4, Informative

    The next logical step for Mars is sample return. According to this page NASA expects to do a sample return in 2013. I wonder if an earlier European mission will change that plan any?

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    Give a man fire, and you warm him for the night. Set a man on fire, and you warm him for the rest of his life.
  2. Re:It's about propulsion, propulsion, propulsion by NardofDoom · · Score: 3, Informative
    We have ways of producing in-situ fuel on Mars. A small tank of hydrogen, a atmospheric processing unit and an RTG will provide enough fuel to launch back to Earth.

    You really need to read "The Case for Mars."

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    You have two hands and one brain, so always code twice as much as you think!
  3. Mars Society by fsh · · Score: 3, Informative
    This is precisely what Dr. Robert Zubrin has been advocating since the early 1990's. His plan would run about $2 billion a year, and was developed in response to President Bush Sr.'s $450 billion Space Exploration Initiative. The first year an Earth Return Vehicle would be sent over with a small amount of Hydrogen. When it landed, it would start processing the CO2 with the H2 to produce methane and water. If a decent water source can be found (which is becoming more and more likely), they wouldn't even need to take the H2 with them. A year after the ERV is launched, the Hab is launched with the crew (while the ERV is still on its way to Mars). By the time the Hab lands on Mars (as close to the ERV as possible), the ERV's tank will be topped off and ready to go.

    Zubrin is president of The Mars Society where you can find all the details about his plan, called Mars Direct.

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    fsh