According to the press center of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the first activation of the engines of the Trace Gas Orbiter of the Russian-European mission 'ExoMars' was successful. At present, the spacecraft has begun a maneuver to enter orbit around Mars.
The separation of the Schiaparelli descent module from the orbiter was announced last Sunday, after which, at 05:42 Moscow time on Monday, information was received that the first firing of the TGO engines after separation with the lander took place in normal mode.
As explained in the press service, the purpose of the planned activation of these engines was to withdraw the TGO orbiter from the trajectory of a possible collision with Mars.
'Switching on lasted 1 minute 16 seconds, with its help a pulse of about 10 m / s was imparted to the apparatus. Thus, TGO was put into an orbit with a periapsis (the shortest distance to Mars) of several hundred kilometers. At 08:42 Moscow time, TGO switched to the mode of entering orbit around Mars, 'the message says.
According to IKI specialists, the orbital module will need about a year to make braking on the atmosphere of the Red Planet. The device will be in a given orbit at the end of 2017. The main braking maneuver should begin at 16:04 Moscow time on October 19.
While entering the highly elliptical orbit of Mars, the TGO scientific instruments will be in 'survival mode' when only the heaters are powered. According to plans, the scientific equipment will be switched on in November 2016. At the same time, the main scientific mission will begin no earlier than autumn 2017.
The ExoMars-2016 station was launched by the Proton-M carrier rocket on March 14, 2016 from the Baikonur cosmodrome. It includes the Schiaparelli lander and the TGO orbital module. TGO's mission is to study trace gases in the atmosphere and the distribution of water ice in the soil of Mars. It is planned that on October 19 Schiaparelli will descend to the surface of Mars, spend several days there transmitting instrument readings and work out a controlled descent and landing before the second part of the ExoMars project, when the Russian landing platform and the European rover will go to the Red Planet in 2020.
In 2020, scientists plan to drill and analyze the Martian soil – in their opinion, signs of organic life could remain there at a depth of several meters.
Sources: IKI RAN
