Humanity Will Follow NASA's 2020 Mars Mission Path

When a female astronaut steps onto the Moon for the first time in 2024, it will mark the historic moment of a new era when NASA finally settles humans on Mars. NASA's latest robotic mission to the Red Planet in 2020 aims to assist future astronauts.

The goal of the 2020 Mars mission is to search for signs of ancient life; it will be the first spacecraft to collect samples from the Martian surface that can be returned to Earth in a future mission.

This vehicle is also being developed to pave the way for humanity's journey to the planet.

Members of NASA's Mars 2020 project are installing MOXIE onto the rover's chassis. With this device, future explorers will be able to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere for fuel and breathing. The device, powered by a car battery, collects carbon dioxide (CO2) from the Martian atmosphere and electrochemically splits the carbon dioxide molecules into oxygen and carbon monoxide molecules. The oxygen is then analyzed before being released back into the Martian atmosphere along with carbon monoxide and other exhaust products.

The Martian atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and extremely thin (about 100 times less dense than Earth's), lacking breathable oxygen. There is no drinkable water on the surface. The landscape is frigid, with no protection from solar radiation or dust storms. The key to survival is technology, research, and testing.

The 2020 Mars mission seeks solutions to all these challenges. The spacecraft is set to launch in July 2020, equipped with the latest scientific and engineering tools.