Polish Mole will drill into Mars
Astronika made a robot commissioned by the German Space Agency (DLR), whichora in turn received such an order from NASA. Mole Penetrator will fly to Mars as part of NASA’s InSight mission. His task will be to drill a well to a depth of five metersow, ktory will be used for geophysical research of the planet.
The InSight mission is cool a joint venture between NASA, France’s CNES and Germany’s DLR. The mission will send an unmanned lander to the Red Planet, whichory will be tasked with conducting geophysical surveys, in particularoMars’ seismological capabilities. With the mission, researchers want to learn more about the specificoĊy internal structure of the planet and its geological activity.
The lander was originally scheduled to launch in March 2016, however, due to itsoin technical flight has been canceled. The next launch window falls in 2018, and that’s when the mission will most likely come to fruition. Mars geophysical research to take two years.
Astronika has already designed similar equipment, whichory took part in the Rosetta mission conducted by the European Space Agency. Manufactured by Polish engineersow the MUPUS penetrator landed on comet 67P/Churiumov-Gierasimienko. The company also manufactures penetrators for the Russian lunar mission, Luna 27.
HP3 (Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package), as the Polish mole is expertly called, is probnik to measure heat flux from the planet’s interior. HP3 is one of the three headoThe company’s goal is to develop and manufacture a new measuring device, whichore will take with it the InSight mission.
„It is worth noting that the HP3 penetrator is a complete device designed and made in Poland. Polish companies are increasingly becoming contractors for the elementoin the equipment, but the implementation of such a complete order is so far rare in our country. Glohe main contractor of the penetrator was the Astronika company, but several other entities were involved in the production processow, m.in. Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Aviation Institute of Welding, Lodz University of TechnologyoThe company’s main partners were the Warsaw University of Science and Technology and the Warsaw University of Technology” – reads the announcement on Astronika’s website.
– The Mole Penetrator won against German rival devices, beat them in tests of the porownawczych. Funding comes entirely from contractow of the German Space Agency. This is the amount of 600-700 thousand euros,” Dr. Jerzy Grygorczuk, vice president of Astronika, said at a press conference.
– The mole will drag a 5-6 meter long tail behind it in the form of a ribbon, ktora in the hole he made rolls up into a tube. It is equipped with a number of sensorsoin thermal. This will allow us to measure the thermal profile of the ground to a depth of 5 m. In addition, the thermal conductivity, whichore gives extensive information about the porosity of the ground and other physical properties. Everything is used to see how the nucleus of Mars works. The workings of the nucleus of Mars and its size is a thing still unknown, Grygorchuk explained in an interview with the Polish Press Agency.
