# Schiaperelli Lander and EXO-Mars news.



## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 8, 2016)

The European Space Agency's Schiaparelli lander on board the ExoMars spacecraft, is scheduled to land on Mars on October 19.








The European Space Agency (ESA) probe was launched on March 14 and has almost completed a 310 million mile (500 million km) voyage across the solar system.

It is due to deploy the small Schiaparelli lander on October 16.

Three days later, the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will brake into an elliptical orbit around Mars while Schiaparelli enters the Martian atmosphere and parachutes down to the surface.


Trace Gas Orbiter






Schiaperelli





The 2.4m wide disc-shaped craft will aim for Meridiani Planum, a flat region near the equator.

Its main mission is to pave the way for the ExoMars Rover, a hi-tech six-wheeled laboratory equipped with life-seeking instruments to be launched in 2020

Schiaparelli will test the rover's descent and landing system - which employs a heat shield, parachute, and retro rockets.

It also carries a small instrument package that will record wind speed, humidity, pressure and temperature at the landing site - and take electric field measurements that may shed light on how Martian dust storms are triggered.






The Trace Gas Orbiter (artist's impression) will brake into an elliptical orbit around Mars while Schiaparelli enters the Martian atmosphere and parachutes down to the surface


The spacecraft is being controlled from the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

However, many of its systems are automatic and not dependent on direct commands from Earth.

Schiaparelli's command sequences are time-saved to ensure the lander can carry out its mission even when out of contact.

During the landing, the command signals will eject the front and back aeroshells, operate descent sensors, deploy the braking parachute, and activate three groups of rockets.

At around 6.6 feet (two metres) above the surface, Schiaparelli will hover briefly before cutting its retro thrusters and dropping to the ground.


http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Schiaparelli_readied_for_Mars_landing

http://exploration.esa.int/mars/46475-trace-gas-orbiter/


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## alucasa (Oct 8, 2016)

Are they sending Mars bars as well?

They have to.


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## qubit (Oct 8, 2016)

I really like the first pic - at first glance it looks like a tiny city with shiny domes and square buildings with lots of shiny everywhere.

Let's science the s* out of Mars!


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 8, 2016)

Instruments on board
http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Schiaparelli_s_instruments


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 17, 2016)

European space probe starts three-day descent to Mars to begin its hunt for the search for intelligent life on the red planet.

The landing module will land on the surface on Wednesday and begin working. ESA says that Schiaparelli will enter the atmosphere on Wednesday at a speed of nearly 13,000 mph before being slowed by atmospheric drag and then deploying a parachute and thrusters.

The 577-kilogram (1,272-pound) lander is expected to collect data during its descent and operate on the surface for a few days. 

The lander carries sensors designed to measure wind speed and direction, humidity, temperature and electric fields.


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## rtwjunkie (Oct 17, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> European space probe starts three-day descent to Mars to begin its hunt for the search for intelligent life on the red planet



So, I'm guessing they are completely bypassing the search for any life at all ever existing (beyond the circumstantial indicators found already), and going directly to the search for intelligent life?


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## Drone (Oct 17, 2016)




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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 18, 2016)

The main engine burn will be starting at 14:05 GMT (15:05 CEST) tomorrow,( Wednesday) and will be live-streamed.

ESA's Livestream


Atmospheric entry is expected at 15:42 BST (10:42 ET) and landing will be at 15:48 BST (10:48 ET).


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 19, 2016)

*ESA's Livestream*


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## Caring1 (Oct 20, 2016)

So what happened?
Last I heard they had lost contact.


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## dorsetknob (Oct 20, 2016)

Caring1 said:


> So what happened?
> Last I heard they had lost contact.



It Landed   " but not the way they expected/Planned "


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 20, 2016)

I am reading that the parachute was jettisoned too early and the retro rockets didnt fire for long enough.


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## FordGT90Concept (Oct 20, 2016)

Yeah...catastrophic failure.  Failure analysis now.
European Space Agency confirms Mars lander lost during descent


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## rtwjunkie (Oct 20, 2016)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> I am reading that the parachute was jettisoned too early and the retro rockets didnt fire for long enough.



Not good.  Good thing it was UNmanned.


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## dorsetknob (Oct 20, 2016)

Mission was /is not a Complete Failure
Some things Achieved were
Successful orbital insertion of Main Satellite ( which can and will proceed to do Valid Science )

Not so good but
source of Refined Pure metals Deposited on Surface ( may one day be usefull ).
Alien Dust Devil/bunny Crushed to Death


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## Drone (Oct 21, 2016)

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter views Schiaparelli landing site






One of the features is bright and can be associated with the 12-m diameter parachute used in the second stage of Schiaparelli’s descent, after the initial heat shield entry. The parachute and the associated back shield were released from Schiaparelli prior to the final phase, during which its nine thrusters should have slowed it to a standstill just above the surface.

The other new feature is a fuzzy dark patch roughly 15 x 40 sq. m in size and ~ 1 km north of the parachute. This is interpreted as arising from the impact of the Schiaparelli module itself following a much longer free fall than planned, after the thrusters were switched off prematurely.

Estimates are that Schiaparelli dropped from a height of between 2-4 km, therefore impacting at a considerable speed, > 300 km/h. The relatively large size of the feature would then arise from disturbed surface material. It is also possible that the lander exploded on impact, as its thruster propellant tanks were likely still full.


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## 64K (Oct 21, 2016)

Drone said:


> Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter views Schiaparelli landing site
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's a shame.


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## Caring1 (Oct 22, 2016)

Not sure why I expected a much slower descent, with nearly no gravity on Mars.
The free fall was surprisingly fast.


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## rtwjunkie (Oct 22, 2016)

Caring1 said:


> Not sure why I expected a much slower descent, with nearly no gravity on Mars.
> The free fall was surprisingly fast.



Actually, Gravity is 62% lower on Mars than Earth, so that is not nearly no gravity.  It's still strong enough that you're not going to go hopping and skipping for yards at a time like on our moon.  Anything dropping through the atmosphere without parachutes and retro rockets will drop like a rock, no pun intended.

http://www.universetoday.com/http://imgur.com/a/78ImU/gravity-on-mars/


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## Drone (Oct 22, 2016)

I did some rough calculations, yeah that poor thing had 306 km/h impact speed. That final 23 seconds


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## dorsetknob (Oct 22, 2016)

Drone said:


> I did some rough calculations, yeah that poor thing had 306 km/h impact speed. That final 23 seconds



Ha just found drones pic online
ps obscene pick up messages incoming


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## newconroer (Oct 22, 2016)

If there's intelligent life on MARS, and this thing comes down..are they going to be claiming to have seen a UFO or flying saucer?


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## qubit (Oct 22, 2016)

Yeah, I feel frustrated at the loss of the lander too. 

@Drone You have a fatal flaw in your calculations: they don't appear to be on the back of an envelope!


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## Aquinus (Oct 22, 2016)

Drone said:


> I did some rough calculations, yeah that poor thing had 306 km/h impact speed. That final 23 seconds


Time to learn LaTeX.


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Oct 22, 2016)

Given that Schiaperellis main purpose was to prove landing technologies i think it will be deemed a partial success as they have at least proved what doesnt work.....


The science package that was to operate on the surface of Mars for a short duration after landing, was only planned to last approximately 2-4 sols (Martian days).

http://exploration.esa.int/mars/47852-entry-descent-and-landing-demonstrator-module/


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## Drone (Oct 22, 2016)

@qubit lol I like it old-style, sometimes I even write on the walls or window panes

There are so many failed Mars landings, especially Mars 2 (thankfully Mars 3,4,5 managed to make it) and Beagle 2










and now this ..


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## Drone (Oct 27, 2016)

Further Clues to Fate of Mars Lander, Seen From Orbit







This Oct. 25, 2016, image from the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the area where the Europe's Schiaparelli test lander struck Mars, with magnified insets of three sites where spacecraft components hit the ground. It adds detail not seen in earlier imaging of the site.


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## Drone (Oct 28, 2016)

Interesting ExoMars video (about the project)


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## Drone (Nov 3, 2016)

Schiaparelli Impact Site on Mars, in Color


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 25, 2016)

Europe's Schiaparelli Mars lander crashed last month after a sensor failure caused it to cast away its parachute and turn off braking thrusters more than two miles (3.7 km) above the surface of the planet, as if it had already landed, a new report has revealed. 

The error stemmed from a momentary glitch in a device that measured how fast the spacecraft was spinning, the report by the European Space Agency said.

The spacecraft activated its ground systems, even though it was still about 2.3 miles off the surface, the ESA said.


'When merged into the navigation system, the erroneous information generated an estimated altitude that was negative - that is, below ground level,' ESA said.

'This in turn successively triggered a premature release of the parachute ... and a brief firing of the braking thrusters.' 











About 0.9 km to the south, the parachute and rear heatshield have also now been imaged in colour. In the time that has elapsed since the last image was taken on 25 October, the outline of the parachute has changed. 

The most logical explanation is that it has been shifted in the wind, in this case slightly to the west. 

This phenomenon was also observed by MRO in images of the parachute used by NASA's Curiosity rover.







A final report on the crash is likely to be completed next month.


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 30, 2016)

ESA’s new ExoMars orbiter has tested its suite of instruments in orbit for the first time













EDIT

i modified the thread title


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## dont whant to set it"' (Nov 30, 2016)

Somewhere I ve read that the lander failed because of a sensor. Bare with me for this one: he/she took the good sensor home. ) but seriously..…. .


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Nov 30, 2016)

dont whant to set it"' said:


> Somewhere I ve read that the lander failed because of a sensor





that "somewhere" might have been post #30


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 1, 2016)

It was also in a local newspaper.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Dec 1, 2016)

Such a waste of time and resources and $$ when they crash.


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## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 1, 2016)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> Such a waste of time and resources and $$ when they crash.


Sure if you factor politics, by that logic it is quite pisible apple sabotauged sammungs batterys for some devices.


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## slozomby (Dec 1, 2016)

don't think of this as a crash/failure, think of it as a successful bombing run.


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Dec 19, 2016)

The 2020 mission of the ExoMars programme will deliver a European rover and a Russian surface platform to the surface of Mars. A Proton rocket will be used to launch the mission, which will arrive to Mars after a nine-month journey. The ExoMars rover will travel across the Martian surface to search for signs of life. It will collect samples with a drill and analyse them with next-generation instruments. ExoMars will be the first mission to combine the capability to move across the surface and to study Mars at depth.







http://exploration.esa.int/mars/48088-mission-overview/


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