Radio silence: In the next two weeks it will be quiet on Mars’ ether – the normally lively communication between NASA and its probes and rovers on the Red Planet has been stopped. Because Mars is behind the sun from October 2nd to 16th and this conjunction disrupts the radio link. Mars rovers such as Perseverance and Curiosity will therefore not operate during this time and, like the rest of the probes, will only carry out the most necessary measurements.
Man-made probes have been present on and around our neighboring planet Mars for a good 20 years. Rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance explore the surface of the red planet while driving, others listen into its interior like the lander Mars InSight or orbit in Mars orbit like NASA’s MAVEN or ESA’s Mars-Express. In order to control their activities and measurements and to plan their routes, there is usually a lot of radio traffic between Earth and Mars.
Conjunction disrupts communication
But there has been no radio broadcast since the weekend. The reason: From October 2nd to 14th, Mars will be directly behind the sun as seen from us. Such a solar conjunction of Mars and Earth occurs every two years because the red planet needs about twice as long for the sun to orbit as the earth. Mars is therefore hidden behind the sun these days and radio waves from earth do not come through, or only partially.
The solar corona in particular causes strong disruptive effects due to its plasma currents and magnetic fields. In terms of radio communication with the probes and rovers on Mars, there is therefore a risk that commands will not arrive or will only arrive in mutilated form during this time. In the worst case, this could lead to rovers going astray or malfunctions in the sensitive and expensive devices.
Only rudimentary signs of life
To be on the safe side, NASA and ESA shut down almost all communication with their Martian explorers for around two weeks – only then did Mars emerge sufficiently far behind the sun. However, this pause in transmission does not take place without preparation: In the weeks before, all rovers and probes are extensively checked again and then receive a series of instructions on what they should or should not do in the next few weeks.
“Although our Mars mission won’t be as active in the next few weeks, we’ll still find out if they’re okay,” explains Roy Gladden from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Because even if all transmission to Mars stops, there will be attempts in the opposite direction: NASA’s three active orbital probes – MAVEN, Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – will continue to request data from the landing probes and rovers and try to get at least part of it despite interference To send earth. At least signs of life and rudimentary data could therefore still arrive.
“Homework” for Perseverance, Curiosity and Co
On the surface of Mars, on the other hand, the motto for the next few weeks will be: Don’t move, don’t drive around and only carry out the most necessary measurements. However, even the landing probes and rovers are not completely idle: “Every mission has been sent some homework that they now work through until they hear from us again,” explains Gladden. The Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance will remain stationary and will not move their robotic arms and cameras either. But their weather stations and some radar sensors and radiation meters remain active. That too microphone from Perseverance stays on.
Of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity is currently 175 meters from Perseverance and must remain parked there for the time of the conjunction. However, it will report its status to the rover once a week. The Mars InSight lander, which is stationary anyway, will continue to carry out seismic measurements during the conjunction. Your drill – the “Mars molef “- is already shut down after unsuccessful drilling attempts.
When Mars has emerged far enough behind the sun in around two weeks, all the data collected in the meantime will be sent to Earth one by one. NASA estimates that it will take around a week for all raw data to be received and evaluated. Only then will the rover and lander gradually resume normal operations.
Source: NASA