It may be millions of miles away, but Earth has not forgotten that Mars is celebrating a great celebration. On February 7, 2021, the red planet celebrates the change of a new year, at least according to the calendar we maintain on Earth.
Since a year of Mars is 687 Earth days (and 668.6 days of Mars, or only), the occasion only occurs approximately every two Earth years, marked by the spring / autumn equinox in the northern and southern hemispheres. respectively.
Since the current Martian calendar began in 1955, this makes the new year of Mars the year 36.
It will be important for our planetary friend. There will be three missions that will arrive on Mars in the coming days. The UAE has sent an orbiting probe called Al-Amal, or Hope, which will arrive first, on February 9th. He will study the atmosphere and climate of Mars, with a look at the assessment of the planet for a human settlement.
The Chinese Tianwen-1 is expected to reach Mars orbit on February 10. The mission consists of a solar-powered orbiter, a lander and a rover, the last two of which will be deployed to the surface in May, for a thorough study of the Utopia impact basin.
The United States sent NASA’s Perseverance, a rover scheduled to land on February 18 in Jezero Crater, a clay-rich target, evidence that the region once contained water. The rover will look for evidence of past life and habitability and collect samples to be returned to Earth for two other developing missions.
It is no coincidence that all three missions arrive at the same time: due to the challenges of sending a spacecraft to Mars, there is a window that arrives approximately every two years and two months that allows a spacecraft to reach Mars with minimal energy. obligatory. This window occurred recently between July and September last year.
It is therefore a happy coincidence that all newcomers move to the new year of Mars. Since the three missions will explore different parts of Mars, Mars Year 36 promises to be a brave new era for the science of Mars.
So happy new year, Mars! We hope you like your new robotic friends. And may we celebrate it with you in person soon.
You can read more about the Martian year on the ESA website.