Mars Exploration in 1976: Unveiling awe-inspiring Martian surface visuals
In the groovy '60s and early '70s, NASA was buzzing with interplanetary exploration! Robotic spacecraft were jetting off to neighboring planets, and astronauts were moonbound!
The agency had big dreams for Mars, planning the mighty Martian Voyager program using the monstrous Saturn 5 rockets. Alas, with budget cuts and public outcry, the budget was slashed, and the Martian Voyager program faded away like a psychedelic dream.
Instead, NASA launched the slightly (but still incredibly impressive) Viking program. It aimed to send two complexes of orbital and landing vehicles to Mars using Titan IIIE rockets.
After years of development, NASA successfully launched Viking 1 on August 20, 1975, and Viking 2 on September 9 of the same year. Viking 1 entered orbit around Mars on June 19, and Viking 2 on August 7, 1976.
Originally scheduled to land on the 4th of July (a nod to America's bicentennial), Viking 1's landing was postponed due to a steep landing site. They found a safer spot, and the landing took place on July 20, coinciding with the 7-year anniversary of the first manned moon landing.
Shortly after landing, Viking 1 sent back its first image—grainy, yet iconic. It showed the spacecraft's footprint firmly planted on Martian soil, a crucial engineering milestone. The photograph also had scientific and historical value, marking the first image taken from the surface of Mars!
Despite some scientists hoping for signs of multicellular life, the image only showed sand and rocks. Viking 1 confirmed that if life existed on Mars, it was likely unicellular.
The real surprises came a few days later. One of the experiments, called Labeled Release (LR), aimed to detect microorganisms by introducing a nutrient medium containing a radioactive isotope into the soil. Both Viking 1 and the later Viking 2 reported the presence of radioactive gas, leading the team to believe they had discovered life on Mars!
However, another experiment was disappointing. It revealed that there was little organic matter in Mars' soil. The only confirmed organic substances were chloromethane and dichloromethane, which were thought to have originated from Earth rather than Mars. The soil was found to be more lifeless and contain less carbon than the sterile lunar soils delivered from the Apollo program.
To this day, the question remains: is there life on Mars? NASA's final statement in the '70s was that Mars was a lifeless planet. However, scientists like Gilbert Levin and Jupp Houtcooper argue that they have found signs of life on Mars. The debate rages on, with some scientists favoring simple, non-biological explanations for the phenomena on Mars, while others believe in the existence of undiscovered, hypothetical microorganisms.
Exceptional claims require exceptional evidence, and this holds true for the claim of life on Mars. While the quest for life on Mars is far from over, the spotlight has shifted to Elon Musk and SpaceX, who aim to establish the first human colony on Mars.
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Sources:- Greicius, T. (2015, March 13). Mars Exploration Past Missions. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/missions/index-past.html?fbclid=IwAR0nYeniXQME6AVYVK2qQe52ztTvc3Udp1MtL9JGocMxIPN8YC9NZf_SLH0- Houtkooper, J. M., & Schulze-Makuch2, D. (n.d.). A Possible Biogenic Origin for Hydrogen Peroxide on Mars: The Viking Results Reinterpreted. Retrieved from https://arxiv.org/ftp/physics/papers/0610/0610093.pdf- Steve Rakas, S. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from http://www.gillevin.com/mars.htm- Viking 1. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/viking-1/
- The Viking program, a NASA initiative launched in the '70s, aimed to explore Mars using Titan IIIE rockets, following budget cuts that halted the Martian Voyager program inspired by space-and-astronomy and physics.
- Instead of finding multicellular life on Mars, as some scientists hoped, the Viking 1 mission confirmed the presence of unicellular life forms, based on the radioactive gas detected by the Labeled Release (LR) experiment, suggesting a connection between environmental-science and the mission.
- Due to the disappointing findings, such as the absence of significant organic matter in Mars' soil, the debate over the existence of life on Mars continues to this day, with opposition arguing for simple, non-biological explanations in the realm of science and history.
- With the quest for life on Mars largely unresolved, the focus has now shifted to technological endeavors like Elon Musk and SpaceX's initiative to establish a human colony on Mars, blending technology, science, and the aspirations of space exploration.
