Module “ExoMars” started braking to enter Mars orbit – TASS

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. The orbital module TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter) Russian-European mission ExoMars began to maneuver braking to orbit the planet.

this was announced by the European space Agency (ESA).

“TGO proceeded to the main maneuver to orbit Mars. It is expected that the engines will spend about 139 minutes”, — stated in the message of ESA in the microblog in Twitter.

Braking the orbital module will last about a year. The apparatus is in a specified orbit at the end of 2017. Monday TGO for the first time started the engine and began to maneuver in orbit to avoid collision with the planet.

the Signal from the spacecraft TGO will be taken at stations of the deep space network European space Agency system (ESTRACK) to Malargue (Argentina) and NASA (system DSN) to Canberra (Australia) and Madrid (Spain). In Russia the signals of “ExoMars” will take station at Bear lakes (Moscow region) and Kalyazin (Tver oblast). According to these data it will be possible to judge the beginning of the maneuver and the output unit out of the radio shadow of Mars after the end of braking.

Module TGO will be a relay for the lander “Schiaparelli”, which should land on Mars in 17:48 GMT Wednesday. On Sunday, he was separated from the Orbiter. TGO will transmit data in real time.

the Main objective of the module TGO will search in the planet’s atmosphere of methane and other gases, which may indicate the supposed biological and geological activity. In addition, the module, the instrument which allows to “see” a meter deep into the Martian soil to study the water ice distribution in the soil of the planet.

Station “ExoMars-2016″ was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome carrier rocket “proton-M” on 14 March this year. For 2020 the planned second part of this Russian – European program, in which Mars will leave the landing platform and the Rover. At this stage the key task will be drilling and analysis of Martian soil: using new data scientists want to find out about possible traces of organic life, which could have been saved.

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