21 Oct 2016
The outcome of the descent onto the surface of Mars by the Schiaparelli probe has been postponed until tomorrow, 20 October, when the telemetric data collected by the TGO orbiter will be able to provide the analysts with the necessary elements for understanding the situation.
Schiaparelli keeps us waiting. Europe, and especially Italy, waits with bated breath to understand what happened to theEDM descent module, which is named Schiaparelli, in honour of the Italian astronomer who was the first person to make anaccurate observation of Mars, drawing a map of what were then called Schiaparelli canals, mistranslated into English as "canals" instead of "channels", thus implying the existence of Martians.
What happened to Schiaparelli? At the moment, we know that the last signal was received 50 seconds before touchdownon the surface of Mars. However, we will not know what happened until tomorrow, thanks to telemetry. In order to paint a clearer picture, I will hazard a comparison in sport: telemetry is, in fact, widely used in the world of motor racing to understand the behaviour of the car or motorcycle.
To be more specific, we could compare Schiaparelli to Valentino Rossi's motorcycle in the last competition in Japan. Rossi was in second place, behind world champion Marc Marquez, when he fell to the ground, caused by the front wheel of his motorcycle. Yet, according to the 9-times world champion, Valentino Rossi, he did not “back off the throttle” on that bend, despite being at maximum speed, and only telemetry would be capable of providing an answer to what happened.
While reiterating that Schiaparelli could be completely operational, what we can say at this moment in time is that only the analysis of the telemetry to be collected tonight by the TGO orbiter, having entered its orbit of Mars correctly, will be able to provide the right answers and tell us whether the European lander is fully functional or that the data collected is sufficient for it to have fulfilled its task: that of providing essential data for the complete success of ExoMars 2020.
We awaited the telemetry today, first from Mars Express, which does not speak the same “language” as Schiaparelli, and then from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter probe, which has a decidedly better capacity for dialogue. However, only the TGO, Schiaparelli's fellow traveller, has the appropriate language and, in fact, only he, on the morning of 20 October, will be able to give us the answers we are waiting for, hopeful and confident that the mission was a success.
Nevertheless, on this day, we celebrated a dream that seems to be closer than ever to becoming reality – taking man to Mars. We did this, thanks to the realist imagination of film director Ron Howard and his six episodes on Mars, which will be aired on theNational Geographic Channel starting in early November. The first episode was presented today as an exclusive preview in 15 European countries and it will be aired simultaneously in 171 countries.
A dream that is becoming reality, as President Obama said just a few days ago, when he announced that humans will set foot on the Red Planet by 2030. A dream in which Europe and Italy participate with great pride and ability: Europe with the European Space Agency and Italy with the Italian Space Agency, INAF, Thales Alenia Space and Leonardo Finmeccanica, all participating to turn the dream into reality.