"There are a few notable elements to NASA's launch this week of a new mission to Mars, known as Escapade. There's the matter of the Blue Origin rocket used to send the probe into space and returning successfully to Earth, making it a milestone for the spaceflight company's New Glenn rockets. As Blue Origin CEO Dave Limb said in a statement, "never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try.""
"For the next year, they will remain in the vicinity of Earth, moving in a pattern that NASA described as "kidney bean-shaped." Next November, the two spacecraft will begin heading towards Mars, with the speed accumulated in the previous months making its trip to the Red Planet more efficient.Once it gets there, the two craft that comprise Escalade will explore Mars's magnetic fields and how the planet reacts to solar winds. According to information released by NASA, each of the two craft are the size of a refridgerator, and will collect solar energy - though the actual amount of power used will be "about as much power as a tea kettle.""
NASA launched Escapade, a two-spacecraft heliophysics mission to study Mars's magnetic fields and responses to solar winds. Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket sent the probe and successfully returned its booster, marking a first for a booster of that size to land on the second attempt. The twin craft will remain near Earth for about a year in a kidney-bean-shaped orbit, then depart next November using accumulated speed for an efficient transfer. Each craft is refrigerator-sized, runs on solar power, and will use roughly the power of a tea kettle. Arrival is scheduled for November 2027, with operations starting the following spring. The mission aims to reveal how Mars became a desert and how solar eruptions affect its surface.
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