It may be millions of miles away, but Earth has not forgotten that Mars has a big holiday. On February 7, 2021, the red planet celebrates the turn of a new year – at least according to our calendar on Earth.
Because a year on Mars is 687 days on Earth (and 668.6 days on Mars or solos), the occasion occurs approximately every two years on Earth, marked by the spring / autumn equinox in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Since the current Martian calendar began in 1955, it makes the new year Mars the 36th year.
It will be a great one for our planetary friend. Three missions are to arrive on Mars in the next few days. The United Arab Emirates has sent an orbiting probe called Al-Amal or Hope, which will arrive first on February 9th. He will study the atmosphere and weather of Mars, with an eye to evaluating the planet for a human settlement.
Tianwen-1 from China is expected to reach Mars on February 10. The mission consists of an orbiter, a lander and a solar-powered rover, the last two of which will be deployed to the surface in May, for a comprehensive study of the Utopia impact basin.
The United States has sent NASA Perseverance, a rover scheduled to land on February 18 in Jezero Crater, a clay-rich target – evidence that the region was once waterlogged. The rover will look for evidence of previous life and housing and collect samples to be returned to Earth by 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 appears approximately every two years and two months, allowing a spacecraft to reach Mars with minimal energy. necessary. That window was most recent in July-September last year.
The fact that the new arrivals are happening on Mars on New Year’s Eve is therefore a happy coincidence. As all 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 let’s celebrate with you soon.
You can read more about the Martian year on the ESA website.