Retroreflectors heading towards Mars

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Retroreflectors heading towards Mars

by LittleMy » Thu Oct 01, 2020 4:34 am

In 1969, astronauts from the first manned lunar mission, (a part of the Apollo program) placed mirrors on the surface of the Moon, which the laser beams sent from Earth were then reflected from. Similar mirrors are heading towards Mars now.

Retroreflectors are extremely simple devices, which thanks to this simplicity are able to survive and serve for many years. When they reach Mars, they can significantly improve our knowledge about the Red Planet.

New retroreflector is installed on board of Perseverance rover, which is just heading towards Mars. However, it will not be the first instrument of this type on Mars, because in front of it there is also a retroreflector installed on the InSight's lander. The third will be the reflector installed on board of Rosalind Franklin rover, which will fly to Mars in 2022.

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