New Rockets T e first problem is how to get to Mars. Using rockets is an obvious answer. Yet a trip to Mars can’t be made with only one rocket. Mars is too far away. A single rocket also would need a lot of fuel. All that fuel would make any of today’s rockets too heavy to even get off the ground. Engineers have an idea how to solve that
problem. It will take new technology. First, these scientists are working on a new, more powerful rocket fuel. T ey also want to build new kinds of rockets. Each rocket could carry diff erent things needed for the Mars mission. One by one, these rockets would blast into
space. One rocket might carry supplies. Others might carry sections of a spaceship. Once in space, these sections would be fitted together. Finally, a rocket would deliver the Mars crew to the finished spaceship.
THE RED PLANET What dangers will explorers face on Mars? Here are a few.
• Temperatures range from –153°C near the poles to 20°C near the equator at noon on a summer day.
• The Martian air is mostly carbon dioxide. It has hardly any of the oxygen we need to breathe.
• There’s no known liquid water on Mars.
• Dust covers Mars. Tests show that it may be sticky and toxic to humans.
Time Line Inventing new rockets and fuel is only the start. T e astronauts can’t just get in and go. Everything needs to be tested first. Engineers need to make sure the rockets work. T ey need to make sure the astronauts will be safe. All of this takes time. For example, NASA
is building a Mars rocket now. Yet it’s not expected to blast off to Mars until 2035. First, the U.S. space agency has to see if it will fly. T e first test flight is scheduled for 2017. For safety reasons, no one will be onboard. T en, in 2021, a crew would blast off in the
rocket. T ey wouldn’t travel far, though. T ey would just orbit, or go around, Earth. Each test will give engineers important
information. T ey’ll see what’s working—and what’s not. T ey’ll find out what they need to fix to make the Mars mission a success.
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