All set for Europe’s Mars lander separation

AFP, PARIS: A European lander is to separate from its mothership Sunday for a million-kilometre (621,000-mile) descent to Mars, testing vital technology ahead of a mission to explore the Red Planet for signs of life.

The high-stakes operation comes nearly 13 years after European ambitions were dealt a blow when its first scout to Mars disappeared on landing.
A 600-kilogramme (1,300-pound), paddling pool-sized lander called Schiaparelli is to separate from an unmanned craft called the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) after a seven-month, 496-million-kilometre trek from Earth.
Separation is scheduled for 1442 GMT, with the landing due to take place on Wednesday, according to the ESA website.
The operation is a testbed for the second chapter of the so-called ExoMars mission, a joint exploration with Russia.
The second part will begin in 2020 with the launch of a rover designed to move around and drill into Mars in search of extra-terrestrial life—past or present.
Sunday’s separation manoeuvres will be followed closely by mission controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, 175 million kilometres away.

All set for Europes Mars lander separation

AFP, PARIS: A European lander is to separate from its mothership Sunday for a million-kilometre (621,000-mile) descent to Mars, testing vital technology ahead of a mission to explore the Red Planet for signs of life. The high-stakes operation comes nearly 13 years after European ambitions were dealt a blow when its first scout to Mars disappeared on landing. A 600-kilogramme (1,300-pound), paddling pool-sized lander called Schiaparelli is to separate from an unmanned craft called the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) after a seven-month, 496-million-kilometre trek from Earth. Separation is scheduled for 1442 GMT, with the landing due to take place on Wednesday, according to the ESA website. The operation is a testbed for the second chapter of the so-called ExoMars mission, a joint exploration with Russia. The second part will begin in 2020 with the launch of a rover designed to move around and drill into Mars in search of extra-terrestrial lifepast or present. Sundays separation manoeuvres will be followed closely by mission controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, 175 million kilometres away.