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[cameron]

The ride is a Proton M / Breeze M rocket. Launch is scheduled for 14 March 09:31:42 GMT at Baikonur Cosmodrome. First signal acquisition is expected at around 21:29 GMT.

Livestream: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Watch_ExoMars_launch

Mission Overview:

The ExoMars programme is a joint endeavour between ESA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. This relates to its name, with the ‘exo’ referring to the study of exobiology – the possible existence of life beyond Earth (sometimes also referred to as astrobiology).

The programme comprises two missions. The first will be launched in March 2016 and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. The second is planned for launch in 2018 and comprises a rover and surface science platform.

TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes. Schiaparelli will test key technologies in preparation for ESA's contribution to subsequent missions to Mars.

The 2018 rover that will carry a drill and a suite of instruments dedicated to exobiology and geochemistry research. The 2016 TGO will act as a relay for the 2018 mission. ​

"Trace Gas Orbiter - Searching For Signature Gases in the Martian Atmosphere"

The Orbiter spacecraft is designed by ESA, while Roscosmos provides the launch vehicle. A scientific payload with instruments from Russia and Europe will be accommodated on the Orbiter to achieve its scientific objectives. The Orbiter will perform detailed, remote observations of the Martian atmosphere, searching for evidence of gases of possible biological importance, such as methane and its degradation products. The instruments onboard the Orbiter will carry out a variety of measurements to investigate the location and nature of sources that produce these gases. The scientific mission is expected to begin in December 2017 and will run for five years. The Trace Gas Orbiter will also be used to relay data for the 2018 rover mission of the ExoMars programme and until the end of 2022.​

​

"Schiaparelli: An Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module Testing Critical Technology For Future Missions"

Schiaparelli, the ExoMars entry, descent and landing demonstrator module will provide Europe with the technology for landing on the surface of Mars with a controlled landing orientation and touchdown velocity. The design of Schiaparelli maximises the use of technologies already in development within the ExoMars programme. These technologies include: special material for thermal protection, a parachute system, a radar Doppler altimeter system, and a final braking system controlled by liquid propulsion.​

​

"Possible Methane Sources and Sinks" (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Proton-M launcher at the launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan

 

[jerry113]

Gives me a faint glimmer of hope when I see that despite shaky relations, the European Union and Russia can at least peacefully cooperate when it comes to space exploration.

 

[cameron]

Slept through it, but the launch went smoothly. Replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7q-ek7DDhI&feature=youtu.be&t=7286

It'll be a 7 month journey to Mars.

The Guardian: "ExoMars spacecraft sets off in search of alien life"

Mission scientists hope in particular to get to the bottom of the Martian methane mystery. The gas is produced in abundance by life on Earth, and its presence on Mars could come from life on, or under, the surface. But the gas is also released by chemical reactions in rocks, so scientists cannot be sure of its source.

“Maybe, maybe we can find out if there’s life extant on the red planet,” said Mark McCaughrean, senior science adviser at the European Space Agency (ESA), moments before the launch.

The TGO will take seven months to travel 308m miles to Mars. Once there, the main spacecraft will release a small lander, Schiaparelli, which will test heat shields and parachutes in preparation for future landings on the planet. It will send back data for several days after touching down.

A high-resolution camera on the orbiter will investigate dark stripes that have been spotted on Martian cliff faces. Thought to be liquid water, the streaks appear in the spring, grow throughout the summer, and then gradually disappear.

Gives me a faint glimmer of hope when I see that despite shaky relations, the European Union and Russia can at least peacefully cooperate when it comes to space exploration.

Space exploration can certainly be a great unifier. Also, both ESA and Roscosmos (including their predecessors) have had a rough history with Mars. The success of this mission would influence funding for future projects as well as morale.

Nature: "Mars launch to test collaboration between Europe and Russia"

Neither Europe nor Russia has ever successfully operated a mission on Mars’s surface. Now the European Space Agency (ESA) and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos hope to mark a first for both organizations, with a joint mission scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 14 March.

Known as ExoMars 2016, it consists of a lander that will study the planet’s dust storms, and an orbiter that will analyse its atmosphere, including looking for methane. The orbiter will also act as a relay for a follow-up Mars rover, due to be launched in 2018. Each phase of the mission will be a test of the growing collaboration between the two space agencies, which have hinted at future joint missions, including teaming up for uncrewed and crewed Moon trips.

ESA designed the orbiter and lander projects but a Russian rocket will launch them and they will carry Russian instruments. “The launch is crucial because it’s symbolic,” says Oleg Korablev of the Space Research Institute, Moscow, who is principal investigator for the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite on the orbiter. "It's psychologically very important."

ESA project scientist Jorge Vago adds: “Hopefully this will cement a way of doing things that becomes the modus operandi for when we do missions together.” Based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, Vago also works on the ExoMars 2018 mission, which will be a joint operation that integrates the teams more tightly.

 

[HellBlazer]

Hey, this thing is arriving at Mars on Wednesday. If they can nail the landing, it will be Europe's first successful Mars landing.

More details here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/spa...a-going-to-land-its-first-spacecraft-on-mars/

 

[Blizzard]

Hey, this thing is arriving at Mars on Wednesday. If they can nail the landing, it will be Europe's first successful Mars landing.

More details here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/spa...a-going-to-land-its-first-spacecraft-on-mars/

Google and search did not turn up another thread on it. The lander apparently malfunctioned or broke and has been lost. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/europe/mars-schiaparelli-lander-esa-lost/index.html

 

[Acorn]

Google and search did not turn up another thread on it. The lander apparently malfunctioned or broke and has been lost. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/europe/mars-schiaparelli-lander-esa-lost/index.html

Man, how gutted will their team be? Right at the last hurdle disaster. Shame.

 

[Neuromancer]

Google and search did not turn up another thread on it. The lander apparently malfunctioned or broke and has been lost. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/europe/mars-schiaparelli-lander-esa-lost/index.html

Bummer. =(

 

[besada]

So sad. The ESA has had such bad luck with Mars. I'm glad they got their orbiter in place, at least.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Damn. That is a shame. Are there any wild chances it landed fine, malfunctioned in communicating, and could start broadcasting properly at some point? Like...magic?

 

[s_mirage]

Damn. That is a shame. Are there any wild chances it landed fine, malfunctioned in communicating, and could start broadcasting properly at some point? Like...magic?

If the telemetry is accurate, virtually none. The parachutes jettisoned early and the thrusters hardly fired; it would have fallen like a rock.

 

[Rentahamster]

At least the orbiter is ok.

 

[Blizzard]

If the telemetry is accurate, virtually none. The parachutes jettisoned early and the thrusters hardly fired; it would have fallen like a rock.

Atmospheric entry was supposed to be at 13,000 mph, so it would fall like a VERY FAST rock.

 

[HellBlazer]

Damn, that sucks. Hopefully they will be able to learn something from what went wrong. Good that the orbiter is doing fine, at least; that was the primary goal of the mission.

 

[XMonkey]

Glad the Orbiter made it, I'm sure Elon Musk is breathing a sigh of relief on that one as the research should be very important for his Mars plans.

 

[sono]

So sad. The ESA has had such bad luck with Mars. I'm glad they got their orbiter in place, at least.

I hope they good a good reason why they wasted all that money on a failed landing. It is not satisfactory in 2016..

 

[Lucky Forward]

Mars Lander Impact Site Seen from Orbit

Instead of gently touching down on the surface, an as-yet undetermined problem shut the landing rockets off while it was still two to four kilometers above the ground. It impacted at an estimated speed of 300 km/hr. That’s 180 mph. Oof.

In the image near the bottom you can see a bright spot below the cluster of pits to the lower right; that’s likely to be the parachute and back shell. And near the top is the, um, rather large black spot. That smudge is 15 x 40 meters in size, or about half the size of an American football field. The lander’s rockets would disturb the surface as it came down, but not nearly that much. It’s far more likely it’s an impact site.

From telemetry, it seems that the thrusters switched off far too early. That means the fuel tanks were nearly full of propellant, so it’s likely they exploded upon impact. That would explain the size of the impact disturbance. It’s not clear why it happened, but engineers are poring over the data and hopefully will figure it out soon.

 

[HellBlazer]

I hope they good a good reason why they wasted all that money on a failed landing. It is not satisfactory in 2016..

Well, I mean... space is hard? Yes, even in 2016. And it's not a waste, the lander wasn't even the primary mission. The orbiter is doing just fine, and they will learn from the landing attempt to hopefully do much better next time.

 

[Slayer-33]

Damn this sucks donkey nuts..

 

[Vlodril]

I hope they good a good reason why they wasted all that money on a failed landing. It is not satisfactory in 2016..

yes because sending a ship on another planet and detach a lander from it to the planet is common occurrence these days

I mean we have done it a couple of times but its not like we do it every day or something. I was checking a page actually and apparently we had half of them fail so far so ..

 

[Jezbollah]

I hope they good a good reason why they wasted all that money on a failed landing. It is not satisfactory in 2016..

They haven't "wasted all that money" on the lander - it's classified as a demonstrator/proof of concept device and was very much the secondary mission in this project.

The real lander, that has the rover, gets launched in a couple of years if you're prepared to hold back on your pitchforks until then.

 

[SonnyBoy]

How much collaboration goes on between space agencies? NASA seems to do it in their sleep, I figure they'd share the technique.

 

[besada]

How much collaboration goes on between space agencies? NASA seems to do it in their sleep, I figure they'd share the technique.

Quite a bit. And it's important to remember that NASA hasn't always been as lucky as we have been lately.

List of NASA Mars Missions that failed:
Mariner 3 - Failed at launch
Mariner 8 - Failed at launch
Mars Observer - May be orbiting dead around Mars, may be orbiting the Sun. We don't know.
Mars Climate Orbiter - Disintegrated in the atmosphere
Mars Polar Lander - Probably died much the same way as this one did - high speed impact with Mars
Deep Space 2 - Mars probes made it to orbit, but then vanished. Likely crashed on Mars.

Space is hard. The Russians have had an even worse time of it.

 

[Jezbollah]

FYI Nasa were supposed to partner the ESA and Roscosmos on ExoMars but funding got diverted away to the James Webb Telescope project.