“Duck-and-cover time
for Mars spacecraft as comet nears”
By: Amanda Barnett,
Source: CNN
A
comet is hurtling towards Mars at an extremely close distance. Is this the end
for the red planet we all know and love? The answer is perhaps. The comet was
said to pass Mars today at 2:27 p.m. NASA
assumes that the comet will merely pass Mars, but comets do spew out a trail of
dust and gas, which could damage the group of spacecraft’s orbiting Mars. Better
safe than sorry, NASA will change the course of the Mars Odyssey orbiter, Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), and the new Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
EvolutioN (MAVEN) to the other side of the planet when the comet approaches.
Luckily the rovers on Mars will be protected by Mars’s atmosphere. The space
crafts will be taking pictures of the comet as it passes by them in order to
collect data. Since Mars will be extremely close to the comet it could might
encounter some bits from the debris cloud left behind by the comet itself.
This
is interesting news people! A planet could possibly be destroyed by this comet.
Why would anyone not want to read about this? Okay so yes the planet is going to survive but
it makes people wonder how different our lives would be if Mars did get destroyed.
This means a lot to those who have spent their entire lives studying,
appreciating and observing the Red Planet. We are extremely lucky that the comet
will not be harming Mars (maybe) because then our years of research would be a
waste.
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